Glenalta vs StirlingTwo Adelaide suburbs compared for a home loan
Glenalta (SA 5052) is approximately 13 km south-east of the Adelaide CBD, in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges. Stirling (SA 5152) is approximately 15 km from the Adelaide city centre, in the Adelaide Hills. At the 2021 Census, Glenalta had 2,039 residents with a median age of 42, and Stirling had 3,067 residents with a median age of 48.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 1% of occupied dwellings in Glenalta and 1% in Stirling, while 9% of Glenalta households rented compared with 9% in Stirling. 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.
SA 5052 · Adelaide foothills
Glenalta
Glenalta is a small foothills suburb beside Belair National Park with its own station, where separate houses make up almost 96 per cent of homes.
City of Mitcham. Approximately 13 km south-east of the Adelaide CBD, in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges.
Read the full Glenalta guideSA 5152 · Adelaide Hills
Stirling
Stirling is an Adelaide Hills town with the district's largest commercial strip, high incomes, few rentals and significant bushfire requirements.
Adelaide Hills Council. Approximately 15 km from the Adelaide city centre, in the Adelaide Hills.
Read the full Stirling guide
What buying in Glenalta and Stirling 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 Glenalta and Stirling.
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 Glenalta to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Stirling 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.
Glenalta and Stirling: 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 | Glenalta | Stirling |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 2,039 | 3,067 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 42 | 48 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,968 | $2,368 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $380 | $450 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,811 | $2,448 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 9% | 9% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 49% | 38% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 40% | 47% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 96% | 94% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 3% | 4% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 1% | 1% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 9% | 18% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 36% | 42% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 3% | 8% |
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 Glenalta and Stirling
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.
Glenalta
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Building insurance in mapped bushfire areas can differ in price and terms, and lenders require cover in place at settlement.
- A Bushfire Attack Level assessment drives construction standards, and habitable development in higher hazard areas is referred to the CFS.
- Sloping, vegetated blocks vary in access and usable land, so valuations of similar houses can differ.
- The suburb is small, with 772 occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, so comparable sales evidence can be limited.
- Only 8.7 per cent of households with a stated tenure rented, so investors face a thin tenant pool of full-sized houses.
Stirling
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Building insurance in mapped bushfire areas can differ markedly in price and terms, and lenders require cover at settlement.
- A Bushfire Attack Level assessment drives construction standards, and MBS008 applies in designated areas.
- Habitable development in higher hazard areas is referred to the CFS, which has 30 business days to respond.
- With 1,153 occupied dwellings and varied allotments, comparable sales are limited and valuations less predictable.
- The main shopping complex was destroyed by fire in 2023 and is to be rebuilt by autumn 2027.
Housing stock in Glenalta and Stirling compared
Glenalta
- Detached houses on sloping blocks
- Separate houses numbered 739 at the 2021 Census, 95.7 per cent of occupied homes, mostly on generous vegetated allotments.
- Mid-century homes from the 1950s and 1960s
- The subdivisions of that period account for much of the stock, and raise the inspection issues typical of the era.
- Semi-detached and townhouse dwellings
- Only 25 were counted at the 2021 Census, so attached housing is effectively a niche within the suburb.
Stirling
- Detached hills houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,085 at the 2021 Census, 94.1 per cent of occupied homes, mostly on generous vegetated allotments.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 354 dwellings had four bedrooms and 134 had five or more.
- Townhouses and flats
- Only 50 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings and 16 flats were counted at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Glenalta and Stirling
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.
Glenalta
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Glenalta, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Stirling
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Stirling, 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 Glenalta and Stirling
Glenalta
Transport
- Glenalta Station (train)
- Routes 195, 195F, 196 and 196F (bus)
- Routes 893 and 894 (bus)
- Blackwood Interchange (bus)
Amenities
- Belair National Park
- Blackwood shopping precinct
Stirling
Transport
- South Eastern Freeway (road)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Belair Station (train)
- Mount Barker Road (road)
Amenities
- Stirling main street
- Stirling Linear Park
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the South Australia education department.
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Request a free assessment: Glenalta or Stirling
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