Hornsby vs St IvesTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan
Hornsby (NSW 2077) is approximately 25 km north of the Sydney CBD, at a major rail interchange. St Ives (NSW 2075) is approximately 18 km north of the Sydney CBD, east of the North Shore line. At the 2021 Census, Hornsby had 22,462 residents with a median age of 38, and St Ives had 18,384 residents with a median age of 43.
The most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments in Hornsby and separate houses in St Ives. Flats and apartments made up 59% of occupied dwellings in Hornsby and 26% in St Ives, while 43% of Hornsby households rented compared with 17% in St Ives. 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 2077 · Upper North Shore
Hornsby
Hornsby is a major rail interchange and retail centre, and the upper North Shore outlier at 59.1 per cent apartments and 43.4 per cent renting.
Hornsby Shire. Approximately 25 km north of the Sydney CBD, at a major rail interchange.
Read the full Hornsby guideNSW 2075 · Upper North Shore
St Ives
St Ives is a Ku-ring-gai suburb without a railway station, where 42.0 per cent of households own outright and 1,259 dwellings have five or more bedrooms.
Ku-ring-gai. Approximately 18 km north of the Sydney CBD, east of the North Shore line.
Read the full St Ives guide
What buying in Hornsby and St Ives 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 Hornsby and St Ives.
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 Hornsby to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for St Ives 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.
Hornsby and St Ives: 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 | Hornsby | St Ives |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 22,462 | 18,384 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 38 | 43 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.9 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,952 | $2,888 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $440 | $688 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,240 | $3,467 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 43% | 17% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 32% | 40% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 23% | 42% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 35% | 66% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 5% | 8% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 59% | 26% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 57% | 21% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 19% | 54% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 7% | 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 Hornsby and St Ives
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.
Hornsby
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Hornsby is a distinct market from the Ku-ring-gai suburbs south of it.
- Single-development exposure limits apply where apartments came through large complexes.
- One-bedroom dwellings and studios can fall below minimum internal floor areas.
- Bushland fringes mean the 10.7 certificate is worth reading even in a centre suburb.
- The T1 and T9 lines differ in travel time and stopping pattern, so test the journey.
St Ives
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Investors
- There is no railway station, so test the actual bus journey to Gordon or Turramurra.
- The national park boundary makes bushfire mapping a realistic prospect.
- Complying development is unavailable on BAL-40 and BAL-FZ land, requiring a full DA.
- Bushfire mapping can raise insurance premiums and make cover harder to place.
- Median monthly repayments of $3,467 mean serviceability binds well before deposit.
Housing stock in Hornsby and St Ives compared
Hornsby
- Apartments around the interchange
- The 5,120 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 59.1 per cent of occupied homes.
- Two bedroom dwellings
- At 4,051 dwellings, dominating the profile recorded at the 2021 Census.
- A real house market
- Separate houses numbered 3,056 at the 2021 Census, 35.3 per cent of occupied homes.
St Ives
- Large detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 4,164 at the 2021 Census, 66.1 per cent of occupied homes.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 2,121 dwellings had four bedrooms and 1,259 had five or more.
- Apartments near the shopping village
- The 1,644 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 26.1 per cent of occupied homes.
Official sale price and rent figures for Hornsby and St Ives
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.
Hornsby
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Hornsby, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
St Ives
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for St Ives, 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 Hornsby and St Ives
Hornsby
Transport
- Hornsby Station (train)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Pacific Highway (road)
- M1 Pacific Motorway (road)
Amenities
- Westfield Hornsby
- Hornsby Hospital
- Hornsby Park
St Ives
Transport
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Mona Vale Road (road)
- Turramurra Station (train)
Amenities
- St Ives Shopping Village
- Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
- St Ives Showground
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.
Compare Hornsby or St Ives with another suburb
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Request a free assessment: Hornsby or St Ives
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Hornsby and St Ives, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.