Illawong vs SutherlandTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan
Illawong (NSW 2234) is approximately 27 km south-west of the Sydney CBD, on the Georges River. Sutherland (NSW 2232) is approximately 26 km south of the Sydney CBD, at the Shire's rail interchange. At the 2021 Census, Illawong had 7,427 residents with a median age of 44, and Sutherland had 11,570 residents with a median age of 37.
The most common occupied dwelling was separate houses in Illawong and flats and apartments in Sutherland. Flats and apartments made up 3% of occupied dwellings in Illawong and 67% in Sutherland, while 8% of Illawong households rented compared with 43% in Sutherland. 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 2234 · Sutherland Shire
Illawong
Illawong is a Sutherland Shire river suburb that is 92.6 per cent detached houses, where 49.8 per cent of households own outright and 8.0 per cent rent.
Sutherland Shire. Approximately 27 km south-west of the Sydney CBD, on the Georges River.
Read the full Illawong guideNSW 2232 · Sutherland Shire
Sutherland
Sutherland is the Shire's administrative and rail centre, and its outlier: 66.7 per cent apartments and 42.9 per cent renting, unlike the suburbs around it.
Sutherland Shire. Approximately 26 km south of the Sydney CBD, at the Shire's rail interchange.
Read the full Sutherland guide
What buying in Illawong and Sutherland 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 Illawong and Sutherland.
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 Illawong to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Sutherland 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.
Illawong and Sutherland: 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 | Illawong | Sutherland |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 7,427 | 11,570 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 44 | 37 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 3.1 | 2.1 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,778 | $1,949 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $650 | $450 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,976 | $2,167 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 8% | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 41% | 33% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 50% | 23% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 93% | 19% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 5% | 14% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 3% | 67% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 4% | 68% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 74% | 10% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 3% | 8% |
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 Illawong and Sutherland
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.
Illawong
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Only 8.0 per cent of households rented, among the lowest shares in these guides.
- Bushland along the river corridors can be mapped as bush fire prone land.
- Complying development is unavailable on BAL-40 and BAL-FZ land, requiring a full DA.
- Riverside homes are not directly comparable, so upper-end valuations are less predictable.
- The peninsula location means limited access routes through neighbouring suburbs.
Sutherland
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Sutherland is a distinct market from the house-dominated suburbs around it.
- Single-development exposure limits apply where apartments came through large complexes.
- One-bedroom dwellings and studios can fall below minimum internal floor areas.
- Comparable evidence is concentrated in two-bedroom apartments.
- Properties near the station and Princes Highway differ in amenity from quieter streets.
Housing stock in Illawong and Sutherland compared
Illawong
- Large detached family houses
- Separate houses numbered 2,172 at the 2021 Census, 92.6 per cent of occupied homes.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 1,230 dwellings had four bedrooms and 515 had five or more.
- Very little attached stock
- Only 117 townhouse dwellings and 62 flats were counted at the 2021 Census.
Sutherland
- Apartments around the station
- The 3,433 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 66.7 per cent of occupied homes.
- Two bedroom dwellings
- At 3,150 dwellings, dominating the profile recorded at the 2021 Census.
- A smaller house market
- Separate houses numbered 992 at the 2021 Census, 19.3 per cent of occupied homes.
Official sale price and rent figures for Illawong and Sutherland
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.
Illawong
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Illawong, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Sutherland
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Sutherland, 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 Illawong and Sutherland
Illawong
Transport
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Alfords Point Road (road)
- Sutherland Station (train)
Amenities
- Georges River foreshore
- Menai Marketplace
- Illawong local shops
Sutherland
Transport
- Sutherland Station (train)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Princes Highway (road)
Amenities
- Sutherland town centre
- Woronora River foreshore
- Sutherland Leisure Centre
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.
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Request a free assessment: Illawong or Sutherland
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Illawong and Sutherland, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.