Glenelg vs Mawson LakesTwo Adelaide suburbs compared for a home loan
Glenelg (SA 5045) is approximately 10 km south-west of the Adelaide CBD, on the Gulf St Vincent coast. Mawson Lakes (SA 5095) is approximately 12 km north of the Adelaide CBD. At the 2021 Census, Glenelg had 3,440 residents with a median age of 55, and Mawson Lakes had 13,794 residents with a median age of 33.
The most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments in Glenelg and separate houses in Mawson Lakes. Flats and apartments made up 61% of occupied dwellings in Glenelg and 15% in Mawson Lakes, while 42% of Glenelg households rented compared with 39% in Mawson Lakes. 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 5045 · Adelaide's western beaches
Glenelg
Glenelg is Adelaide's tram-served beachside centre, where apartments dominate, residents are older and many households own outright or rent.
City of Holdfast Bay. Approximately 10 km south-west of the Adelaide CBD, on the Gulf St Vincent coast.
Read the full Glenelg guideSA 5095 · Adelaide's northern suburbs
Mawson Lakes
Mawson Lakes is a master-planned suburb in Adelaide's north with a rail interchange, university campus, technology park and modern housing.
City of Salisbury. Approximately 12 km north of the Adelaide CBD.
Read the full Mawson Lakes guide
What buying in Glenelg and Mawson Lakes 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 Glenelg and Mawson Lakes.
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 Glenelg to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
- Loan amount
- $804,220
- Loan to value ratio
- 88.8%
- Transfer duty, South Australia
- $42,780
- Lenders mortgage insurance
- $14,220
- Upfront cash needed
- $145,780
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.
Glenelg and Mawson Lakes: 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 | Glenelg | Mawson Lakes |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 3,440 | 13,794 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 55 | 33 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 1.8 | 2.6 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,430 | $1,940 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $350 | $360 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,733 | $1,659 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 42% | 39% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 15% | 42% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 37% | 17% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 16% | 66% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 21% | 18% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 61% | 15% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 63% | 23% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 8% | 29% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 24% | 6% |
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 Glenelg and Mawson Lakes
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.
Glenelg
- Downsizers
- Investors
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Apartments operated as serviced or holiday accommodation under a management agreement may be restricted or declined by some lenders.
- Small units can fall below the minimum internal floor area that certain lenders and mortgage insurers require.
- Strata and community corporation levies, and any special levies for coastal building repairs, are included in serviceability assessments.
- Some lenders limit their exposure to a single high-rise building, which can affect approval even when the borrower qualifies.
- Downsizers buying before selling an existing home may need to consider bridging finance and its costs.
Mawson Lakes
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Upgraders
- Small, student-oriented or converted-office apartments may not meet the minimum floor area or security requirements of some lenders.
- Units above commercial premises can be treated as mixed-use security, with a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio.
- Community and strata corporation levies are counted as a living cost in serviceability assessments and reduce borrowing capacity.
- First home buyers with small deposits are likely to need lenders mortgage insurance or a place in the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme.
- Registered encumbrances and aircraft noise exposure near Parafield Airport are matters a valuer or conveyancer may raise.
Housing stock in Glenelg and Mawson Lakes compared
Glenelg
- Apartments and units
- From older walk-up strata flats to high-rise foreshore buildings; 1,026 flats or apartments were counted at the 2021 Census.
- Townhouses and infill dwellings
- Semi-detached and townhouse dwellings on subdivided lots behind Jetty Road and the foreshore.
- Character villas and bungalows
- A small number of Victorian and Edwardian houses, some of which may be subject to heritage or historic area policy.
Mawson Lakes
- Modern detached houses
- Homes built since the late 1990s on moderate allotments; 3,362 separate houses were counted at the 2021 Census.
- Terraces and townhouses
- Narrow-lot and rear-lane dwellings, often on community title, located close to the town centre and lakes.
- Apartments
- Town centre buildings, including units above shops and some converted offices, popular with students and investors.
Official sale price and rent figures for Glenelg and Mawson Lakes
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.
Glenelg
- Median weekly rent, flats/units (all bedrooms), 2024 Q4
- $510
- Median weekly rent, all dwellings, 2024 Q4
- $515
Source: SA Housing Trust (SA Housing Authority), from Consumer and Business Services rental bond data.
Mawson Lakes
- Median house price, 2025 Q1
- $890,000
- Median weekly rent, 3 bedroom house, 2024 Q4
- $600
- Median weekly rent, 2 bedroom flat/unit, 2024 Q4
- $483
Source: Office of the Valuer-General, Government of South Australia (published by the Department for Housing and Urban Development on Data SA); SA Housing Trust (SA Housing Authority), from Consumer and Business Services rental bond data.
Transport, schools and amenities in Glenelg and Mawson Lakes
Glenelg
Transport
- Glenelg tram line (tram)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Anzac Highway (road)
- Brighton Road (road)
Schools and campuses
- Glenelg Primary School (primary, government)
Amenities
- Glenelg Beach and foreshore
- Jetty Road precinct
- Moseley Square
- Bay Discovery Centre
- Glenelg Library
- Colley Reserve
Mawson Lakes
Transport
- Mawson Interchange (train)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Main North Road (road)
- Salisbury Highway (road)
- Parafield Airport (airport)
Schools and campuses
- Mawson Lakes School (primary, government)
- Endeavour College (secondary, independent)
- Adelaide University, Mawson Lakes Campus (tertiary, university)
Amenities
- Mawson Lakes town centre, Main Street
- Sir Douglas Mawson Lake
- Adelaide Planetarium
- Adelaide University Mawson Lakes Campus library
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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