Harris Park vs MerrylandsTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan
Harris Park (NSW 2150) is immediately south-east of the Parramatta CBD. Merrylands (NSW 2160) is approximately 24 km west of the Sydney CBD, near Parramatta. At the 2021 Census, Harris Park had 5,043 residents with a median age of 31, and Merrylands had 32,472 residents with a median age of 33.
The most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments in Harris Park and separate houses in Merrylands. Flats and apartments made up 85% of occupied dwellings in Harris Park and 37% in Merrylands, while 73% of Harris Park households rented compared with 48% in Merrylands. 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.
NSW 2150 · Western Sydney
Harris Park
Harris Park adjoins the Parramatta CBD, where 85.0 per cent of homes are apartments, 73.3 per cent rent and only 15.9 per cent hold a mortgage.
City of Parramatta. Immediately south-east of the Parramatta CBD.
Read the full Harris Park guideNSW 2160 · Western Sydney
Merrylands
Merrylands is a large Cumberland family suburb of 32,472 residents, where houses hold 48.8 per cent of homes and the average household is 3.0 people.
Cumberland. Approximately 24 km west of the Sydney CBD, near Parramatta.
Read the full Merrylands guide
What buying in Harris Park and Merrylands 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 Harris Park and Merrylands.
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 Harris Park to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Merrylands 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.
Harris Park and Merrylands: 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 | Harris Park | Merrylands |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 5,043 | 32,472 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 31 | 33 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,779 | $1,470 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $360 | $400 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,750 | $2,100 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 73% | 48% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 16% | 27% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 10% | 23% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 8% | 49% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 3% | 14% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 85% | 37% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 82% | 43% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 3% | 25% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 13% | 9% |
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 Harris Park and Merrylands
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.
Harris Park
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Single-development exposure limits bind readily in a suburb of 1,874 occupied dwellings.
- Comparable evidence is concentrated in two-bedroom apartments, one product type.
- One-bedroom dwellings and studios can fall below minimum internal floor areas.
- Renting at 73.3 per cent means most purchases are assessed as investment lending.
- The Wigram Street commercial strip generates evening activity and traffic.
Merrylands
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- A median income of $1,470 against repayments of $2,100 means serviceability binds early.
- A lender assesses the applicants' income, not the whole household's.
- Strata levies reduce borrowing power further on top of the income position.
- Parramatta Light Rail and Metro West both affect accessibility from this area.
- Comparable evidence should come from the same part of a suburb this large.
Housing stock in Harris Park and Merrylands compared
Harris Park
- Apartments
- The 1,592 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 85.0 per cent of occupied homes.
- Two bedroom dwellings
- At 1,385 dwellings, the dominant size recorded at the 2021 Census.
- Few detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 155 at the 2021 Census, 8.3 per cent of occupied homes.
Merrylands
- Detached family houses
- Separate houses numbered 4,842 at the 2021 Census, 48.8 per cent of occupied homes.
- Apartments near the centre
- The 3,630 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 36.6 per cent of occupied homes.
- Family-sized homes
- At the 2021 Census, 1,740 dwellings had four bedrooms and 704 had five or more.
Official sale price and rent figures for Harris Park and Merrylands
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.
Harris Park
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Harris Park, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Merrylands
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Merrylands, 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 Harris Park and Merrylands
Harris Park
Transport
- Harris Park Station (train)
- Parramatta Light Rail (light rail)
- Parramatta Metro (metro)
- Sydney buses (bus)
Amenities
- Wigram Street precinct
- Parramatta CBD
- Parramatta Park
Merrylands
Transport
- Merrylands Station (train)
- Parramatta Light Rail (light rail)
- Parramatta Metro (metro)
- Sydney buses (bus)
Amenities
- Stockland Merrylands
- Merrylands Park
- Parramatta CBD
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the New South Wales education department.
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Request a free assessment: Harris Park or Merrylands
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Harris Park and Merrylands, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.