Highbury vs Modbury NorthTwo Adelaide suburbs compared for a home loan
Highbury (SA 5089) is approximately 13 km north-east of the Adelaide CBD, north of the River Torrens. Modbury North (SA 5092) is approximately 14 km north-east of the Adelaide CBD, west of Golden Grove Road. At the 2021 Census, Highbury had 6,956 residents with a median age of 41, and Modbury North had 5,704 residents with a median age of 40.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 0% of occupied dwellings in Highbury and 2% in Modbury North, while 12% of Highbury households rented compared with 18% in Modbury North. 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 5089 · Adelaide's north-eastern foothills
Highbury
Highbury is a north-eastern foothills suburb bounded by the River Torrens, with the highest household income of Adelaide's northern suburbs and no flats.
City of Tea Tree Gully. Approximately 13 km north-east of the Adelaide CBD, north of the River Torrens.
Read the full Highbury guideSA 5092 · Adelaide's north-east
Modbury North
Modbury North is a settled north-eastern Adelaide suburb of detached houses, bounded by Dry Creek and the Kingfisher Wetlands catchment.
City of Tea Tree Gully. Approximately 14 km north-east of the Adelaide CBD, west of Golden Grove Road.
Read the full Modbury North guide
What buying in Highbury and Modbury North 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 Highbury and Modbury North.
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 Highbury to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Modbury North 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.
Highbury and Modbury North: 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 | Highbury | Modbury North |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 6,956 | 5,704 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 41 | 40 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.6 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,038 | $1,596 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $369 | $360 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,733 | $1,473 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 12% | 18% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 45% | 44% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 42% | 37% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 97% | 95% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 3% | 2% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 0% | 2% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 5% | 4% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 42% | 29% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 4% | 4% |
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 Highbury and Modbury North
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.
Highbury
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- No flats were recorded at the 2021 Census and only 65 townhouses, so low-maintenance housing is scarce.
- The eastern end lies within the Adelaide Hills Face Zone, which restricts development on the face of the ranges.
- Flood and stormwater overlays apply in parts of the River Torrens corridor on the southern border.
- Bushfire mapping in the foothills affects construction standards and insurance, which lenders require at settlement.
- Only 12.2 per cent of households with a stated tenure rented, so the tenant pool is very thin for investors.
Modbury North
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Investors
- Smaller stock is scarce, with only 49 townhouses and 36 flats counted at the 2021 Census.
- Outright ownership of 37.2 per cent points to a settled market with less high loan-to-value borrowing.
- Flood and stormwater overlays may apply near Dry Creek on the eastern boundary, which affects insurance.
- Homes built before the 1980s may contain asbestos-containing materials, which inspections and some insurers consider.
- Uniform three-bedroom stock makes valuations predictable, but less so for substantially extended houses.
Housing stock in Highbury and Modbury North compared
Highbury
- Detached family houses
- Separate houses numbered 2,410 at the 2021 Census, 97.1 per cent of occupied homes, among the highest shares in Adelaide.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 835 dwellings had four bedrooms and 204 had five or more.
- Townhouses
- Only 65 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census, and no flats at all.
Modbury North
- Detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 2,062 at the 2021 Census, 95.5 per cent of occupied homes, mostly from the 1960s and 1970s.
- Three-bedroom homes
- The dominant size at 1,424 dwellings counted at the 2021 Census, against 538 with four bedrooms.
- Townhouses and flats
- Only 49 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings and 36 flats were counted at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Highbury and Modbury North
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.
Highbury
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Highbury, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Modbury North
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Modbury North, 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 Highbury and Modbury North
Highbury
Transport
- O-Bahn busway (bus)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Lower North East Road (road)
- North East Road (road)
Amenities
- River Torrens Linear Park
- Highbury local shops
- Tea Tree Plaza
Modbury North
Transport
- Tea Tree Plaza Interchange (bus)
- O-Bahn busway (bus)
- Golden Grove Road (road)
- Montague Road (road)
Amenities
- Tea Tree Plaza
- Kingfisher Wetlands
- Dry Creek corridor
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: Highbury or Modbury North
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