Griffith vs KingstonTwo Canberra suburbs compared for a home loan
Griffith (ACT 2603) is approximately 3 km south-east of the Canberra CBD, around the Manuka shops. Kingston (ACT 2604) is approximately 3 km south-east of the Canberra CBD, on Lake Burley Griffin. At the 2021 Census, Griffith had 5,328 residents with a median age of 38, and Kingston had 6,579 residents with a median age of 35.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments. Flats and apartments made up 53% of occupied dwellings in Griffith and 90% in Kingston, while 41% of Griffith households rented compared with 51% in Kingston. 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 2603 · South Canberra
Griffith
Griffith is an inner south suburb renamed from southern Blandfordia in 1928, where apartments make up 53.4 per cent of homes and renting leads at 40.7 per cent.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 3 km south-east of the Canberra CBD, around the Manuka shops.
Read the full Griffith guideACT 2604 · South Canberra
Kingston
Kingston is Canberra's oldest and most densely populated suburb, where the Foreshore redevelopment has made 90.5 per cent of homes apartments.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 3 km south-east of the Canberra CBD, on Lake Burley Griffin.
Read the full Kingston guide
What buying in Griffith and Kingston 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 Griffith and Kingston.
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 Griffith to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Kingston 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.
Griffith and Kingston: 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 | Griffith | Kingston |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 5,328 | 6,579 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 38 | 35 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.1 | 1.8 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,542 | $2,469 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $462 | $510 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,118 | $1,950 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 41% | 51% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 32% | 31% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 25% | 18% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 36% | 3% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 11% | 6% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 53% | 90% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 57% | 78% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 24% | 2% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 10% | 11% |
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 Griffith and Kingston
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.
Griffith
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- One-bedroom dwellings can fall below lenders' minimum internal floor areas.
- Body corporate levies are counted in serviceability assessments and reduce borrowing power.
- A short-stay or serviced apartment is specialised security with a lower loan-to-value cap.
- Parts of the inner south fall within urban conservation areas that constrain alterations.
- Older houses warrant a check of the loose-fill asbestos register.
Kingston
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Single-development exposure limits bind readily in a suburb of large apartment buildings.
- One-bedroom dwellings and studios can fall below lenders' minimum internal floor areas.
- Special levies for defect rectification can be significant in newer buildings.
- A short-stay or serviced apartment is specialised security with a lower loan-to-value cap.
- Renting at 51.0 per cent means most purchases are assessed as investment lending.
Housing stock in Griffith and Kingston compared
Griffith
- Apartments near Manuka
- The 1,238 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 53.4 per cent of occupied homes.
- Established houses
- Separate houses numbered 826 at the 2021 Census, only 35.6 per cent of occupied homes.
- Two bedroom dwellings
- At 955 dwellings, the most common size recorded at the 2021 Census, with 360 one-bedroom.
Kingston
- Foreshore apartments
- The 2,980 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 90.5 per cent of occupied homes.
- One and two bedroom dwellings
- At the 2021 Census, 1,747 dwellings had two bedrooms and 802 had one.
- Townhouses
- The 212 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings counted at the 2021 Census, with only 99 houses.
Official sale price and rent figures for Griffith and Kingston
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.
Griffith
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Griffith, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Kingston
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Kingston, 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 Griffith and Kingston
Griffith
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Canberra Avenue (road)
Amenities
- Manuka shops
- Manuka swimming pool
- Telopea Park
Kingston
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Canberra Avenue (road)
- Lake Burley Griffin paths (road)
Amenities
- Kingston Foreshore
- Kingston shops and Green Square
- Lake Burley Griffin
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.
Compare Griffith or Kingston with another suburb
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Request a free assessment: Griffith or Kingston
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Griffith and Kingston, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.