Hughes vs PhillipTwo Canberra suburbs compared for a home loan
Hughes (ACT 2605) is approximately 8 km south-west of the Canberra CBD, in northern Woden Valley. Phillip (ACT 2606) is approximately 8 km south of the Canberra CBD, at the Woden Town Centre. At the 2021 Census, Hughes had 3,210 residents with a median age of 43, and Phillip had 5,197 residents with a median age of 32.
The most common occupied dwelling was separate houses in Hughes and flats and apartments in Phillip. Flats and apartments made up 13% of occupied dwellings in Hughes and 67% in Phillip, while 24% of Hughes households rented compared with 50% in Phillip. 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 2606 · Woden Valley
Phillip
Phillip contains the Woden Town Centre and is almost entirely apartments and townhouses, with only three separate houses counted at the 2021 Census.
Australian Capital Territory. Approximately 8 km south of the Canberra CBD, at the Woden Town Centre.
Read the full Phillip guide
What buying in Hughes and Phillip 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 Phillip.
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 Phillip 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 Phillip: 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 | Phillip |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 3,210 | 5,197 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 43 | 32 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.6 | 1.9 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,797 | $2,075 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $400 | $440 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,700 | $1,608 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 24% | 50% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 36% | 35% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 37% | 14% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 73% | 0% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 13% | 33% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 13% | 67% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 19% | 81% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 45% | 1% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 8% | 10% |
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 Phillip
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.
Phillip
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Single-development exposure limits bind readily in a town centre of large apartment buildings.
- One and two bedroom dwellings can fall below lenders' minimum internal floor areas.
- Body corporate levies are counted in serviceability assessments and reduce borrowing power.
- Renting at 49.9 per cent means many purchases are assessed as investment lending.
- Further apartment buildings in planning or construction can change outlook and aspect.
Housing stock in Hughes and Phillip 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.
Phillip
- Apartments
- The 1,757 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 67.0 per cent of occupied homes.
- Townhouses
- At 860 dwellings, or 32.8 per cent of occupied homes at the 2021 Census.
- One and two bedroom dwellings
- At the 2021 Census, 1,286 dwellings had two bedrooms and 831 had one.
Official sale price and rent figures for Hughes and Phillip
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.
Phillip
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Phillip, 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 Phillip
Hughes
Transport
- Transport Canberra buses (bus)
- Hindmarsh Drive (road)
- Yarra Glen (road)
Amenities
- Hughes shops
- Clarrie Hermes Park
- Red Hill Nature Reserve
Phillip
Transport
- Woden bus interchange (bus)
- Hindmarsh Drive (road)
- Yarra Glen (road)
Amenities
- Westfield Woden
- Eddison Park
- Phillip Swimming and Ice Skating 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: Hughes or Phillip
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Hughes and Phillip, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.