Liverpool vs WollongongTwo suburbs compared for a home loan
Liverpool (NSW 2170) is approximately 27 km south-west of the Sydney CBD. Wollongong (NSW 2500) is approximately 80 km south of Sydney, between the Illawarra escarpment and the coast. At the 2021 Census, Liverpool had 31,078 residents with a median age of 34, and Wollongong had 20,446 residents with a median age of 35.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments. Flats and apartments made up 65% of occupied dwellings in Liverpool and 77% in Wollongong, while 63% of Liverpool households rented compared with 55% in Wollongong. 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 2170 · South Western Sydney
Liverpool
A buyer's guide to Liverpool NSW 2170: a mixed use city centre, apartments and older houses, a hospital precinct, Georges River flood checks and lending.
Liverpool City Council. Approximately 27 km south-west of the Sydney CBD.
Read the full Liverpool guideNSW 2500 · Illawarra
Wollongong
A guide to buying in Wollongong, the coastal city centre of the Illawarra, covering apartments, older houses, rail links, strata and lending.
Wollongong City Council. Approximately 80 km south of Sydney, between the Illawarra escarpment and the coast.
Read the full Wollongong guide
What buying in Liverpool and Wollongong 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 Liverpool and Wollongong.
Your prices and deposit
Enter the price you are seeing in each suburb. BorrowWise does not quote prices, so the comparison uses yours.
- Loan amount
- $1,250,400
- Loan to value ratio
- 92.3%
- Transfer duty, New South Wales
- $52,787
- Lenders mortgage insurance
- $50,400
- Upfront cash needed
- $155,787
- Loan amount
- $1,149,326
- Loan to value ratio
- 91.7%
- Transfer duty, New South Wales
- $48,322
- Lenders mortgage insurance
- $46,326
- Upfront cash needed
- $151,322
- At these prices, Liverpool costs $613 more a month than Wollongong and needs $4,465 more cash upfront.
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.
Liverpool and Wollongong: 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 | Liverpool | Wollongong |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 31,078 | 20,446 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 34 | 35 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.6 | 2.0 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,303 | $1,549 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $370 | $410 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,733 | $1,950 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 63% | 55% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 21% | 18% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 15% | 24% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 24% | 14% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 10% | 7% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 65% | 77% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 63% | 64% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 11% | 6% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 12% | 12% |
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 Liverpool and Wollongong
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.
Liverpool
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Upgraders
- Some lenders limit loan-to-value ratios in postcodes or buildings with a high supply of apartments, which can increase the deposit required.
- Minimum internal floor area policies can exclude smaller one bedroom and studio units from standard lending.
- Valuations for units in new towers can be conservative when many comparable apartments are selling at once.
- Strata records may reveal defects, fire safety orders or special levies that affect both valuation and ongoing costs.
- Flood related planning controls near the Georges River or overland flow paths can influence insurance premiums and lender acceptance.
Wollongong
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Downsizers
- Some lenders cap exposure to a single building or apply tighter loan-to-value limits where many new apartments have been completed.
- Student accommodation, studios and serviced apartments commonly fall outside standard residential lending policy.
- Units above commercial premises may be assessed more conservatively where the commercial component of the building is large.
- Strata levies are counted as living expenses, and lenders discount rental income when assessing investor serviceability.
- Coastal, flood or land stability notations on a planning certificate can affect insurance, which must be in place at settlement.
Housing stock in Liverpool and Wollongong compared
Liverpool
- Walk-up unit blocks
- Two and three storey brick blocks with mainly two bedroom units and comparatively modest strata levies.
- High-rise apartments
- Towers completed in and around the centre since the 2018 mixed use rezoning, with lifts and shared facilities.
- Detached houses
- Fibro and brick cottages towards the edges of the suburb, some on land zoned for higher density.
- Townhouses and villas
- Smaller medium-density developments on former house lots, accounting for about one in ten occupied dwellings.
Wollongong
- Older walk-up apartments
- Low-rise strata blocks around the centre and towards the beaches, often with modest levies and ageing common property.
- City centre towers and mixed-use buildings
- Mid-rise and high-rise apartments, frequently above ground-floor commercial space.
- Detached cottages and bungalows
- A limited number of older houses on the suburb's edges, some with redevelopment potential.
Official sale price and rent figures for Liverpool and Wollongong
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.
Liverpool
- Median dwelling price, 2026 Q1 (postcode 2170)
- $700,000
- Median house price, 2026 Q1 (postcode 2170)
- $1,300,000
- Median unit price, 2026 Q1 (postcode 2170)
- $560,000
- Median weekly rent, 3 bedroom house, 2026 Q2 (postcode 2170)
- $720
- Median weekly rent, 2 bedroom flat/unit, 2026 Q2 (postcode 2170)
- $550
Source: NSW Department of Communities and Justice.
Wollongong
- Median dwelling price, 2026 Q1 (postcode 2500)
- $843,000
- Median house price, 2026 Q1 (postcode 2500)
- $1,203,000
- Median unit price, 2026 Q1 (postcode 2500)
- $750,000
- Median weekly rent, 3 bedroom house, 2026 Q2 (postcode 2500)
- $775
- Median weekly rent, 2 bedroom flat/unit, 2026 Q2 (postcode 2500)
- $650
Source: NSW Department of Communities and Justice.
Transport, schools and amenities in Liverpool and Wollongong
Liverpool
Transport
- Liverpool Station (train)
- Liverpool to Parramatta T-way (bus)
- Hume Highway (road)
- M5 Motorway and Westlink M7 (road)
- Western Sydney International Airport (airport)
Schools and campuses
- Liverpool Public School (primary, government)
- Liverpool Girls High School (secondary, government)
- Liverpool Boys High School (secondary, government)
- All Saints Catholic College (combined, catholic)
- Western Sydney University, Liverpool City campus (tertiary, university)
- TAFE NSW Liverpool, College Street (tertiary, tafe)
Amenities
- Liverpool Hospital
- Westfield Liverpool
- Bigge Park
- Western Sydney University Liverpool City campus
- St Luke's Anglican Church
Wollongong
Transport
- Wollongong Station (train)
- Free shuttle bus (bus)
- Princes Highway (road)
- Southern Freeway via Mount Ousley (road)
Schools and campuses
- Smiths Hill High School (secondary, government)
- St Mary Star of the Sea College (secondary, catholic)
- TAFE NSW Wollongong (tertiary, tafe)
- University of Wollongong (tertiary, university)
Amenities
- Wollongong Hospital
- Wollongong Central and Crown Street Mall
- Wollongong City Beach
- North Wollongong Beach
- WIN Stadium
- Illawarra Performing Arts 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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