Higgins vs ScullinTwo Canberra suburbs compared for a home loan
Higgins (ACT 2615) is approximately 12 km north-west of the Canberra city centre, in western Belconnen. Scullin (ACT 2614) is approximately 11 km north-west of the Canberra city centre, in western Belconnen. At the 2021 Census, Higgins had 3,321 residents with a median age of 38, and Scullin had 3,069 residents with a median age of 35.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 2% of occupied dwellings in Higgins and 6% in Scullin, while 23% of Higgins households rented compared with 33% in Scullin. 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 2615 · Belconnen
Higgins
Higgins is a western Belconnen suburb gazetted in 1968, built 96.2 per cent of detached houses with almost no attached stock at all.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 12 km north-west of the Canberra city centre, in western Belconnen.
Read the full Higgins guideACT 2614 · Belconnen
Scullin
Scullin is a western Belconnen suburb gazetted in 1968 and named after Prime Minister James Scullin, with a young family profile and 39.8 per cent holding a mortgage.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 11 km north-west of the Canberra city centre, in western Belconnen.
Read the full Scullin guide
What buying in Higgins and Scullin 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 Higgins and Scullin.
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 Higgins to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Scullin 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.
Higgins and Scullin: 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 | Higgins | Scullin |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 3,321 | 3,069 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 38 | 35 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.6 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,248 | $2,025 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $400 | $390 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,000 | $1,950 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 23% | 33% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 45% | 40% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 30% | 27% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 96% | 80% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 2% | 14% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 2% | 6% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 12% | 19% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 36% | 28% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 5% | 7% |
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 Higgins and Scullin
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.
Higgins
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- The 1968 gazettal falls at the start of the loose-fill asbestos period.
- The uniform detached stock makes house valuations comparatively predictable.
- The few attached dwellings have almost no local comparable evidence.
- Density potential should not be assumed given how little redevelopment has occurred.
- Median monthly mortgage repayments of $2,000 sit above the national figure.
Scullin
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- The 1968 gazettal falls at the start of the loose-fill asbestos period.
- At 1,147 occupied dwellings, sales volume in any period is modest.
- Complexes of this age warrant close review of sinking fund adequacy.
- Body corporate levies on the attached stock are counted in serviceability assessments.
- Density potential should be confirmed given limited redevelopment to date.
Housing stock in Higgins and Scullin compared
Higgins
- Detached houses from the late 1960s
- Separate houses numbered 1,189 at the 2021 Census, 96.2 per cent of occupied homes.
- Three and four bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 630 dwellings had three bedrooms and 366 had four.
- Negligible attached stock
- Only 30 townhouse dwellings and 23 flats were counted at the 2021 Census.
Scullin
- Detached houses from the late 1960s
- Separate houses numbered 917 at the 2021 Census, 79.9 per cent of occupied homes.
- Three bedroom homes
- At 598 dwellings, the dominant size recorded at the 2021 Census, against 269 four-bedroom.
- Townhouses and apartments
- The 162 townhouse dwellings and 68 flats counted at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Higgins and Scullin
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.
Higgins
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Higgins, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Scullin
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Scullin, 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 Higgins and Scullin
Higgins
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Southern Cross Drive (road)
- Ginninderra Drive (road)
Amenities
- Kippax group centre
- Belconnen Town Centre
- Higgins local shops
Scullin
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Southern Cross Drive (road)
- Belconnen Way (road)
Amenities
- Scullin shops
- Hawker group centre
- Belconnen Town Centre
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: Higgins or Scullin
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Higgins and Scullin, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.