Kensington vs Point PiperTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan
Kensington (NSW 2033) is approximately 5 km south-east of the Sydney CBD, beside the University of New South Wales. Point Piper (NSW 2027) is approximately 5 km east of the Sydney CBD, on a harbour peninsula. At the 2021 Census, Kensington had 11,927 residents with a median age of 32, and Point Piper had 1,334 residents with a median age of 52.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments. Flats and apartments made up 71% of occupied dwellings in Kensington and 71% in Point Piper, while 55% of Kensington households rented compared with 29% in Point Piper. 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 2033 · Eastern Suburbs
Kensington
Kensington adjoins the University of New South Wales, where apartments make up 71.4 per cent of homes, 55.3 per cent rent and vacancy reached 17.6 per cent.
City of Randwick. Approximately 5 km south-east of the Sydney CBD, beside the University of New South Wales.
Read the full Kensington guideNSW 2027 · Eastern Suburbs
Point Piper
Point Piper is a small Woollahra harbour peninsula with the highest household income and mortgage repayments recorded anywhere in these guides.
Municipality of Woollahra. Approximately 5 km east of the Sydney CBD, on a harbour peninsula.
Read the full Point Piper guide
What buying in Kensington and Point Piper 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 Kensington and Point Piper.
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 Kensington to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Point Piper 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.
Kensington and Point Piper: 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 | Kensington | Point Piper |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 11,927 | 1,334 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 32 | 52 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.2 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,118 | $4,530 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $500 | $900 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,760 | $5,000 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 55% | 29% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 19% | 19% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 25% | 51% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 21% | 26% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 7% | 3% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 71% | 71% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 63% | 36% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 16% | 28% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 18% | 21% |
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 Kensington and Point Piper
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.
Kensington
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Student accommodation is specialised security many lenders refuse outright.
- Lenders may scrutinise a rental history of short academic-year tenancies.
- One-bedroom dwellings and studios can fall below minimum internal floor areas.
- The 18 per cent Census vacancy predates the L3 light rail and the return of travel.
- Anzac Parade carries heavy traffic and the light rail line.
Point Piper
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Some lenders decline above a value threshold or require two independent valuations.
- Individual harbourside properties are not comparable, so valuations are inherently uncertain.
- Sea walls, jetties and retaining structures may be owner responsibilities requiring consent.
- Heritage listing can materially constrain what a buyer can do with a site.
- At these prices, cooling-off at 0.25 per cent is a very large sum and s66W raises it to 10.
Housing stock in Kensington and Point Piper compared
Kensington
- Apartments along Anzac Parade
- The 3,110 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 71.4 per cent of occupied homes.
- Two bedroom dwellings
- At 1,947 dwellings, the most common size recorded at the 2021 Census.
- Surviving detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 915 at the 2021 Census, 21.0 per cent of occupied homes.
Point Piper
- Harbourside apartments
- The 378 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 71.1 per cent of occupied homes.
- Substantial harbourside houses
- Separate houses numbered 136 at the 2021 Census, with 80 dwellings having five or more bedrooms.
- Very few attached dwellings
- Only 18 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Kensington and Point Piper
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.
Kensington
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Kensington, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Point Piper
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Point Piper, 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 Kensington and Point Piper
Kensington
Transport
- UNSW Anzac Parade light rail (light rail)
- Kensington light rail (light rail)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Anzac Parade (road)
Amenities
- University of New South Wales
- Centennial Park
- Royal Randwick Racecourse
Point Piper
Transport
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Double Bay Wharf (ferry)
- Rose Bay Wharf (ferry)
- New South Head Road (road)
Amenities
- Sydney Harbour foreshore
- Double Bay shopping
- Rose Bay
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.
Compare Kensington or Point Piper with another suburb
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Request a free assessment: Kensington or Point Piper
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Kensington and Point Piper, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.