Hughes vs PearceTwo Canberra suburbs compared for a home loan
Hughes (ACT 2605) is approximately 8 km south-west of the Canberra CBD, in northern Woden Valley. Pearce (ACT 2607) is approximately 9 km south-west of the Canberra CBD, below Mount Taylor. At the 2021 Census, Hughes had 3,210 residents with a median age of 43, and Pearce had 2,687 residents with a median age of 43.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 13% of occupied dwellings in Hughes and 4% in Pearce, while 24% of Hughes households rented compared with 25% in Pearce. 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 2605 · Woden Valley
Hughes
Hughes is the oldest Woden Valley suburb, gazetted in 1962 with nine residents, named after Billy Hughes, with a median age of 43 and even tenure.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 8 km south-west of the Canberra CBD, in northern Woden Valley.
Read the full Hughes guideACT 2607 · Woden Valley
Pearce
Pearce is a Woden Valley suburb established in 1967 below Mount Taylor, named after Sir George Pearce, where townhouses make up 32.5 per cent of homes.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 9 km south-west of the Canberra CBD, below Mount Taylor.
Read the full Pearce guide
What buying in Hughes and Pearce 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 Hughes and Pearce.
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 Hughes to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Pearce 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.
Hughes and Pearce: 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 | Hughes | Pearce |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 3,210 | 2,687 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 43 | 43 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,797 | $2,362 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $400 | $430 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,700 | $2,383 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 24% | 25% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 36% | 35% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 37% | 38% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 73% | 63% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 13% | 33% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 13% | 4% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 19% | 25% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 45% | 42% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 8% | 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 Hughes and Pearce
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.
Hughes
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Investors
- Loose-fill asbestos insulation was concentrated in parts of Hughes, so the register should be checked.
- Retirement village lease or licence tenure is specialised security many lenders will not accept.
- Title is a Crown lease with a purpose clause, not freehold, so permitted use must be confirmed.
- Median monthly mortgage repayments of $2,700 mean serviceability usually binds before deposit.
- At 1,131 occupied dwellings, comparable evidence is limited for valuation.
Pearce
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- First home buyers
- Single-development exposure limits matter where 343 townhouses sit in 1,055 occupied dwellings.
- Body corporate levies are counted in serviceability assessments and reduce borrowing power.
- Title is a Crown lease with a purpose clause, not freehold, so permitted use must be confirmed.
- Older houses warrant a check of the loose-fill asbestos register.
- Reserve land on two sides means the suburb's housing supply is effectively fixed.
Housing stock in Hughes and Pearce compared
Hughes
- 1960s detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 831 at the 2021 Census, 73.5 per cent of occupied homes.
- Townhouses and apartments
- Each accounted for 149 dwellings at the 2021 Census, 13.2 per cent of occupied homes apiece.
- Retirement village accommodation
- The St Andrews retirement village operates in the suburb, which reported 207 residents aged 85 and over.
Pearce
- 1960s detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 667 at the 2021 Census, 63.2 per cent of occupied homes.
- Townhouses
- At 343 dwellings, or 32.5 per cent of occupied homes, more than double the national share.
- Three and four bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 350 dwellings had three bedrooms and 313 had four, with 126 having five or more.
Official sale price and rent figures for Hughes and Pearce
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.
Hughes
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Hughes, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Pearce
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Pearce, 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 Hughes and Pearce
Hughes
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Hindmarsh Drive (road)
- Yarra Glen (road)
Amenities
- Hughes shops
- Clarrie Hermes Park
- Red Hill Nature Reserve
Pearce
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Hindmarsh Drive (road)
- Yarra Glen (road)
Amenities
- Pearce shops
- Mount Taylor Nature Reserve
- Pearce neighbourhood oval
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: Hughes or Pearce
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Hughes and Pearce, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.