Garran vs Red HillTwo Canberra suburbs compared for a home loan
Garran (ACT 2605) is approximately 6 km south of the Canberra CBD, adjoining the Canberra Hospital. Red Hill (ACT 2603) is approximately 4 km south of the Canberra CBD, on and below Red Hill. At the 2021 Census, Garran had 3,706 residents with a median age of 41, and Red Hill had 3,146 residents with a median age of 42.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 17% of occupied dwellings in Garran and 13% in Red Hill, while 30% of Garran households rented compared with 22% in Red Hill. 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.
ACT 2605 · Woden Valley
Garran
Garran is a Woden Valley suburb developed in 1966 beside the Canberra Hospital, with a mixed housing profile and the highest median rent in the valley.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 6 km south of the Canberra CBD, adjoining the Canberra Hospital.
Read the full Garran guideACT 2603 · South Canberra
Red Hill
Red Hill is an inner south suburb named for its red soil, with the highest median household income and mortgage repayments recorded in these guides.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 4 km south of the Canberra CBD, on and below Red Hill.
Read the full Red Hill guide
What buying in Garran and Red Hill 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 Garran and Red Hill.
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 Garran to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Red Hill 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.
Garran and Red Hill: 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 | Garran | Red Hill |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 3,706 | 3,146 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 41 | 42 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.8 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,985 | $3,938 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $550 | $500 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,600 | $3,500 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 30% | 22% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 32% | 36% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 36% | 40% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 61% | 79% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 23% | 7% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 17% | 13% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 18% | 15% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 41% | 60% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 7% | 10% |
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 Garran and Red Hill
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.
Garran
- Upgraders
- Investors
- Downsizers
- Loose-fill asbestos insulation was concentrated in Garran, so the register should be checked for any address.
- A cleared or recently built block may have been part of the buyback and demolition scheme.
- Title is a Crown lease with a purpose clause, not freehold, so permitted use must be confirmed.
- Body corporate levies on the attached stock are counted in serviceability assessments.
- Hospital traffic concentrates on the roads serving that site.
Red Hill
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Many lenders apply a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio above certain property value thresholds.
- Some lenders require two independent valuations above a value threshold.
- Individually rebuilt homes are not directly comparable, so valuations are less predictable.
- Sloping sites raise retaining, drainage and stormwater questions on inspection.
- Older houses warrant a check of the loose-fill asbestos register.
Housing stock in Garran and Red Hill compared
Garran
- 1960s detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 767 at the 2021 Census, 61.0 per cent of occupied homes.
- Townhouses
- At 283 dwellings, or 22.5 per cent of occupied homes, well above the national 12.6 per cent.
- Apartments
- The 208 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 16.5 per cent of occupied homes.
Red Hill
- Large detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 800 at the 2021 Census, 79.1 per cent of occupied homes.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 400 dwellings had four bedrooms and 207 had five or more.
- Apartments and townhouses
- The 135 flats and 74 townhouse dwellings counted at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Garran and Red Hill
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.
Garran
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Garran, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Red Hill
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Red Hill, 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 Garran and Red Hill
Garran
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Yarra Glen (road)
- Hindmarsh Drive (road)
Amenities
- The Canberra Hospital
- Garran shops
- Westfield Woden
Red Hill
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Canberra Avenue (road)
- Mugga Way (road)
Amenities
- Red Hill Nature Reserve
- Red Hill shops
- Manuka shops
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the ACT education department.
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Request a free assessment: Garran or Red Hill
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Garran and Red Hill, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.