Fremantle vs ScarboroughTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Fremantle (WA 6160) is approximately 19 km south-west of the Perth CBD, at the mouth of the Swan River. Scarborough (WA 6019) is approximately 14 km north-west of the Perth CBD, on the Indian Ocean coast. At the 2021 Census, Fremantle had 9,251 residents with a median age of 41, and Scarborough had 17,605 residents with a median age of 36.
The most common occupied dwelling was separate houses in Fremantle and townhouses and terraces in Scarborough. Flats and apartments made up 27% of occupied dwellings in Fremantle and 16% in Scarborough, while 42% of Fremantle households rented compared with 40% in Scarborough. These differences matter for finance, because lenders assess apartments, strata buildings and houses on land differently.
Both suburbs are in the same state, so transfer duty is calculated on the same scale and the difference in upfront cost comes from the purchase price. The panel below applies that scale, and an estimate of lenders mortgage insurance, to the prices you enter.
WA 6160 · South-west metropolitan Perth
Fremantle
Fremantle is Perth's historic port city, with heritage cottages, townhouses and apartments, a rail terminus and a high share of renters.
City of Fremantle. Approximately 19 km south-west of the Perth CBD, at the mouth of the Swan River.
Read the full Fremantle guideWA 6019 · Perth's northern coastal suburbs
Scarborough
Scarborough is a Perth beachside suburb where townhouses and villas outnumber houses, with a redeveloped foreshore and a large rental market.
City of Stirling. Approximately 14 km north-west of the Perth CBD, on the Indian Ocean coast.
Read the full Scarborough guide
What buying in Fremantle and Scarborough would mean for the loan
The difference between two suburbs is usually a difference in price, and price drives the deposit, the transfer duty, any lenders mortgage insurance and the repayment. Enter the prices you are seeing and the panel works out each of those for Fremantle and Scarborough.
Your prices and deposit
Enter the price you are seeing in each suburb. BorrowWise does not quote prices, so the comparison uses yours.
Enter a price for Fremantle to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Scarborough to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Warning: The interest rate used here is an example only. It is not a comparison rate and is not a rate offered by any lender, and it does not include fees and charges. Different rates, terms, fees or loan amounts will give a different result.
Estimates only. Repayments assume a principal and interest loan at a constant rate, which is an assumption and not a current market rate. Transfer duty is indicative for established homes, first home buyer relief depends on eligibility, and upfront cash includes an allowance of $3,000 for conveyancing and inspections. Lenders mortgage insurance is an estimate and is added to the loan. A lender makes its own assessment.
Fremantle and Scarborough: Census profile compared
Figures are from the 2021 Census, so rents, repayments and incomes have moved since. They are most useful for comparing one suburb with another and with Australia as a whole.
| Measure | Fremantle | Scarborough |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 9,251 | 17,605 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 41 | 36 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.1 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,822 | $2,107 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $380 | $405 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,167 | $2,167 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 42% | 40% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 28% | 35% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 29% | 24% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 40% | 36% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 32% | 48% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 27% | 16% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 52% | 35% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 13% | 15% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 14% | 13% |
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2021 Census (CC BY 4.0). Tenure shares exclude households that did not state their tenure. Dwelling shares are of occupied private dwellings.
Home loan considerations in Fremantle and Scarborough
Lenders treat houses on land, townhouses and apartments differently, and some apply extra conditions to small apartments, high-density buildings or particular postcodes. These are the points each guide raises.
Fremantle
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Heritage listing on the local Heritage List or the State Register can restrict alterations, and valuers factor these limits and repair costs into their assessments.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance and inspection conditions need to be written into the offer before it is signed.
- Mixed-use buildings and converted warehouses may be assessed more conservatively by some lenders, which can lower the maximum loan-to-value ratio offered.
- Small apartments and older flats may fall below the minimum internal floor area that certain lenders and mortgage insurers require.
- Strata levies, reserve fund balances and planned remedial works in older or coastal buildings affect both valuation and borrowing capacity assessments.
- Unusual period homes have fewer comparable sales, so a valuation below the contract price is a possibility that buyers with small deposits may wish to plan for.
Scarborough
- Upgraders
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Most dwellings are strata titled, so levies, reserve funds and planned works affect both valuation and serviceability.
- Coastal exposure accelerates corrosion and concrete deterioration, and lenders expect borrowers to meet higher insurance and maintenance costs.
- Serviced, short-stay and very small apartments near the beachfront may be restricted or declined by some lenders.
- View premiums are difficult for valuers to support without comparable sales, so a valuation shortfall is possible.
- With no mandatory cooling-off period in Western Australia, finance and inspection conditions need to be included in the offer itself.
Housing stock in Fremantle and Scarborough compared
Fremantle
- Heritage cottages and period homes
- Limestone and brick cottages, terraces and Federation homes, many subject to local or state heritage controls.
- Townhouses and terraces
- Semi-detached, terrace and townhouse dwellings made up 1,306 of the occupied homes counted at the 2021 Census.
- Apartments and older flats
- Mid-century walk-up flats and newer strata complexes near the town centre and harbour, some in mixed-use buildings.
- Warehouse and commercial conversions
- Former wool stores and warehouses adapted to apartments, which some lenders assess more conservatively.
Scarborough
- Townhouses, villas and duplexes
- The dominant dwelling type, produced by decades of lot redevelopment; 3,635 such dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census.
- Detached houses
- A mix of remaining mid-century houses on larger lots and newer architect-designed homes oriented to ocean views.
- Apartments and older flats
- Walk-up flats from earlier decades and mid-rise buildings near the beachfront, some with short-stay use.
Official sale price and rent figures for Fremantle and Scarborough
Only figures published free of charge by a government agency are shown. Where none is published the space is left empty rather than filled with an estimate. Each guide charts the full series.
Fremantle
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Fremantle, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Scarborough
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Scarborough, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Transport, schools and amenities in Fremantle and Scarborough
Fremantle
Transport
- Fremantle Station (train)
- Fremantle Station bus services (bus)
- Fremantle Traffic Bridge (road)
Schools and campuses
- John Curtin College of the Arts (secondary, government)
- Fremantle Primary School (primary, government)
- CBC Fremantle (secondary, catholic)
- University of Notre Dame Australia, Fremantle Campus (tertiary, university)
Amenities
- Fremantle Hospital
- Fremantle Markets
- Fremantle Prison
- WA Maritime Museum
Scarborough
Transport
- Surf CAT (bus)
- Transperth route 990 (bus)
- Stirling Station (train)
- Scarborough Beach Road (road)
Schools and campuses
- Scarborough Primary School (primary, government)
Amenities
- Scarborough Beach
- Scarborough Beach Pool
- Sunset Hill
- Whale Playground
- Scarborough Amphitheatre
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the Western Australia education department.
Compare Fremantle or Scarborough with another suburb
Change either suburb, or add a third.
Related comparisons
Request a free assessment: Fremantle or Scarborough
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Fremantle and Scarborough, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.