Joondalup vs MidlandTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Joondalup (WA 6027) is approximately 26 km north of the Perth CBD. Midland (WA 6056) is approximately 16 km north-east of the Perth CBD, where Great Eastern Highway and Great Northern Highway meet. At the 2021 Census, Joondalup had 9,193 residents with a median age of 39, and Midland had 6,335 residents with a median age of 39.
The most common occupied dwelling was separate houses in Joondalup and townhouses and terraces in Midland. Flats and apartments made up 24% of occupied dwellings in Joondalup and 17% in Midland, while 41% of Joondalup households rented compared with 63% in Midland. 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.
WA 6027 · Northern suburbs of Perth
Joondalup
Joondalup is the planned regional centre of Perth's north, with a rail station, university, major hospital and a mix of houses and apartments.
City of Joondalup. Approximately 26 km north of the Perth CBD.
Read the full Joondalup guideWA 6056 · Eastern metropolitan Perth
Midland
Midland is the strategic centre of Perth's east, with a rail terminus rebuilt in 2026, a public hospital, heritage workshops and mostly rented townhouses.
City of Swan. Approximately 16 km north-east of the Perth CBD, where Great Eastern Highway and Great Northern Highway meet.
Read the full Midland guide
What buying in Joondalup and Midland 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 Joondalup and Midland.
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 Joondalup to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Midland 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.
Joondalup and Midland: 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 | Joondalup | Midland |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 9,193 | 6,335 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 39 | 39 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.9 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,688 | $1,138 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $360 | $295 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,733 | $1,350 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 41% | 63% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 33% | 19% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 25% | 17% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 57% | 32% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 19% | 51% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 24% | 17% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 26% | 42% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 41% | 7% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 10% | 14% |
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 Joondalup and Midland
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.
Joondalup
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Studio apartments and purpose-built student accommodation may not meet the minimum floor area or security type requirements of some lenders.
- Off-the-plan purchases are valued close to settlement, and a valuation below the contract price would need to be covered from the buyer's own funds.
- Lenders mortgage insurance is likely to apply to purchases with a small deposit, and adding the premium to the loan increases total interest costs.
- Strata levies on townhouses and apartments are counted as a living cost in serviceability assessments and reduce borrowing capacity.
- With no mandatory cooling-off period in Western Australia, a finance condition with a realistic approval date protects buyers whose loan is not yet formally approved.
Midland
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Some lenders apply minimum internal floor areas and limit exposure to a single building or to postcodes with many units, which can reduce the maximum loan.
- Strata levies are included in serviceability assessments, and scheme insurance, reserve funds and planned works affect valuation.
- Lenders usually count only part of expected rent when assessing an investor's capacity, which matters in a suburb where most households rent.
- Flood prone and aircraft noise special control areas apply to parts of Midland, so insurance quotes are worth obtaining before an offer becomes unconditional.
- Heritage-listed places and converted workshop buildings may be valued more conservatively because alterations require approval.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance, inspection and strata disclosure matters need attention before signing.
Housing stock in Joondalup and Midland compared
Joondalup
- Detached brick and tile houses
- Family homes on moderately sized lots, mostly built from the late twentieth century onwards; 2,037 separate houses were counted at the 2021 Census.
- Townhouses and grouped dwellings
- Lower-maintenance strata homes located close to the station, university and shopping precinct.
- Apartments and student accommodation
- Low-rise units in the city centre, including some small dwellings designed primarily for student tenants.
Midland
- Strata villas and townhouses
- Semi-detached, terrace and townhouse dwellings numbered 1,468 of the 2,900 occupied homes counted at the 2021 Census.
- Older detached houses
- Separate houses in the streets around the town centre, some on lots with split density codings and some subject to heritage listing.
- Apartments and mixed-use buildings
- Flats and apartments numbered 487 at the 2021 Census, including newer buildings above shops in the town centre and workshops precinct.
- Medium-density redevelopment housing
- Townhouses and compact homes delivered through the DevelopmentWA program, such as the Woodbridge Lakes neighbourhood.
Official sale price and rent figures for Joondalup and Midland
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.
Joondalup
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Joondalup, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Midland
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Midland, 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 Joondalup and Midland
Joondalup
Transport
- Joondalup Station (train)
- Joondalup CAT (bus)
- Mitchell Freeway (road)
- Joondalup Drive (road)
Schools and campuses
- Joondalup Primary School (primary, government)
- Lake Joondalup Baptist College (combined, independent)
- Edith Cowan University, Joondalup Campus (tertiary, university)
- North Metropolitan TAFE, Joondalup (Kendrew Crescent) (tertiary, tafe)
Amenities
- Joondalup Health Campus
- Lakeside Joondalup
- Yellagonga Regional Park
- Neil Hawkins Park
- Arena Joondalup
Midland
Transport
- Midland Station (train)
- Midland Station bus interchange (bus)
- Great Eastern Highway (road)
- Great Northern Highway (road)
Schools and campuses
- Moorditj Noongar Community College (primary, government)
- Governor Stirling Senior High School (secondary, government)
- La Salle College (secondary, catholic)
- St Brigid's Primary School (primary, catholic)
- Curtin University, Midland Campus (tertiary, university)
- North Metropolitan TAFE, Midland Campus (tertiary, tafe)
Amenities
- St John of God Midland Public Hospital
- Midland Gate Shopping Centre
- Midland Railway Workshops and Railway Square
- Swan Active Midland
- Midland Library
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the Western Australia education department.
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