Indooroopilly vs St LuciaTwo Brisbane suburbs compared for a home loan
Indooroopilly (QLD 4068) is approximately 8 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD, on the Brisbane River. St Lucia (QLD 4067) is approximately 5 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD, on a peninsula of the Brisbane River. At the 2021 Census, Indooroopilly had 13,622 residents with a median age of 33, and St Lucia had 12,220 residents with a median age of 25.
The most common occupied dwelling was separate houses in Indooroopilly and flats and apartments in St Lucia. Flats and apartments made up 45% of occupied dwellings in Indooroopilly and 60% in St Lucia, while 45% of Indooroopilly households rented compared with 54% in St Lucia. 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.
QLD 4068 · Western Brisbane
Indooroopilly
Indooroopilly is a western Brisbane rail and retail centre split almost evenly between houses at 46.7 per cent and apartments at 45.4 per cent.
City of Brisbane. Approximately 8 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD, on the Brisbane River.
Read the full Indooroopilly guideQLD 4067 · Western Brisbane
St Lucia
St Lucia is a University of Queensland riverside suburb where the 2021 Census recorded a median age of 25 and 53.7 per cent of households renting.
City of Brisbane. Approximately 5 km south-west of the Brisbane CBD, on a peninsula of the Brisbane River.
Read the full St Lucia guide
What buying in Indooroopilly and St Lucia 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 Indooroopilly and St Lucia.
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 Indooroopilly to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for St Lucia 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.
Indooroopilly and St Lucia: 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 | Indooroopilly | St Lucia |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 13,622 | 12,220 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 33 | 25 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,078 | $1,761 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $440 | $410 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,058 | $2,000 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 45% | 54% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 26% | 18% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 29% | 27% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 47% | 33% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 8% | 7% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 45% | 60% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 40% | 45% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 30% | 24% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 8% | 11% |
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 Indooroopilly and St Lucia
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.
Indooroopilly
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Upgraders
- Houses and apartments hold near-equal shares, so due diligence differs sharply by property type.
- Minimum internal floor area rules tighten lending on the 224 one-bedroom dwellings recorded.
- Single-development exposure limits can delay approval within a large apartment complex.
- Body corporate levies are counted in serviceability and reduce borrowing power.
- Flood exposure varies by address, so obtain a FloodWise Property Report for the property.
St Lucia
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Purpose-built student accommodation is specialised security attracting much lower maximum LVRs.
- Lenders set a minimum internal floor area below which unit lending tightens or is declined.
- Single-development exposure limits can constrain lending within a large apartment complex.
- Only 18.0 per cent of households held a mortgage, roughly half the national share.
- Flood exposure varies by address, so obtain a FloodWise Property Report for the property.
Housing stock in Indooroopilly and St Lucia compared
Indooroopilly
- Separate houses
- Separate houses numbered 2,406 at the 2021 Census, 46.7 per cent of occupied homes.
- Apartments
- Flats and apartments numbered 2,337, or 45.4 per cent of occupied homes, against 14.2 per cent nationally.
- Two bedroom dwellings
- At 1,815 dwellings, the most common size recorded at the 2021 Census, ahead of 1,549 with three bedrooms.
St Lucia
- Apartments
- Flats and apartments numbered 2,347 at the 2021 Census, 59.6 per cent of occupied homes.
- Separate houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,297, or 33.0 per cent of occupied homes, well below the national 72.3 per cent.
- Two and three bedroom dwellings
- At the 2021 Census, 1,583 dwellings had two bedrooms and 1,196 had three.
Official sale price and rent figures for Indooroopilly and St Lucia
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.
Indooroopilly
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Indooroopilly, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
St Lucia
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for St Lucia, 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 Indooroopilly and St Lucia
Indooroopilly
Transport
- Indooroopilly Station (train)
- Walter Taylor Bridge (road)
- Moggill Road (road)
- Indooroopilly bus interchange (bus)
- Jack Pesch Bridge (road)
Schools and campuses
- Indooroopilly State School (primary, government)
- Indooroopilly State High School (secondary, government)
- St Peters Lutheran College (combined, independent)
Amenities
- Indooroopilly Shopping Centre
- Indooroopilly Golf Club
- Brisbane River parkland
- Indooroopilly State High School
St Lucia
Transport
- University of Queensland Bus Station (bus)
- Guyatt Park and University of Queensland ferry terminals (ferry)
- Eleanor Schonell Bridge (road)
- Toowong and Taringa stations (train)
- Sir Fred Schonell Drive (road)
Amenities
- University of Queensland St Lucia campus
- St Lucia Golf Links
- Hawken Drive shops
- Schonell Theatre
- Brisbane River foreshore parks
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the Queensland education department.
Compare Indooroopilly or St Lucia with another suburb
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Request a free assessment: Indooroopilly or St Lucia
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Indooroopilly and St Lucia, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.