Mandurah vs RockinghamTwo suburbs compared for a home loan
Mandurah (WA 6210) is approximately 72 km south of the Perth CBD, on the Peel-Harvey Estuary. Rockingham (WA 6168) is approximately 40 km south-west of the Perth CBD, on Cockburn Sound. At the 2021 Census, Mandurah had 8,804 residents with a median age of 50, and Rockingham had 15,312 residents with a median age of 49.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 14% of occupied dwellings in Mandurah and 14% in Rockingham, while 54% of Mandurah households rented compared with 38% in Rockingham. 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 6210 · Peel region
Mandurah
Mandurah is the centre of a regional city on the Peel-Harvey Estuary, with the oldest population, most holiday vacancy and lowest mortgage share in these guides.
City of Mandurah. Approximately 72 km south of the Perth CBD, on the Peel-Harvey Estuary.
Read the full Mandurah guideWA 6168 · Perth's southern coastal corridor
Rockingham
Rockingham is a coastal strategic centre south of Perth with older houses, villas and foreshore apartments, an older population and many renters.
City of Rockingham. Approximately 40 km south-west of the Perth CBD, on Cockburn Sound.
Read the full Rockingham guide
What buying in Mandurah and Rockingham 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 Mandurah and Rockingham.
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 Mandurah to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Rockingham 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.
Mandurah and Rockingham: 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 | Mandurah | Rockingham |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 8,804 | 15,312 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 50 | 49 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 1.8 | 2.0 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $858 | $1,169 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $270 | $300 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,250 | $1,517 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 54% | 38% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 17% | 27% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 28% | 34% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 46% | 66% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 37% | 20% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 14% | 14% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 36% | 27% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 11% | 30% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 23% | 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 Mandurah and Rockingham
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.
Mandurah
- Downsizers
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Units tied to a serviced apartment or hotel management agreement are specialised security for many lenders.
- About 23 per cent of dwellings were unoccupied on Census night, which bears on rental demand and resale.
- Some lenders apply different maximum loan-to-value ratios to regional locations than to metropolitan Perth.
- Strata levies are counted in serviceability assessments, and small units can fall below minimum floor areas.
- Low-lying land around the estuary and canals can be subject to flood and inundation considerations.
Rockingham
- Downsizers
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Some lenders restrict serviced or short-stay apartments and set minimum internal floor areas, which can narrow the choice of lender for foreshore units.
- Strata levies, reserve fund balances and planned remedial works in coastal buildings affect both valuation and borrowing capacity assessments.
- Borrowers close to retirement are usually asked for an exit strategy, and the loan term offered may be shorter than the standard term.
- Downsizers buying before selling may need bridging finance or an offer made subject to the sale of their existing home.
- Property within mapped coastal hazard or bush fire prone areas may cost more to insure, and lenders require insurance at settlement.
Housing stock in Mandurah and Rockingham compared
Mandurah
- Townhouses and villa units
- At 1,532 dwellings, or 37.3 per cent of occupied homes at the 2021 Census, well above the national share.
- Apartments
- The 581 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 14.1 per cent of occupied homes, concentrated around the marina and foreshore.
- Detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,893 at the 2021 Census, only 46.1 per cent of occupied homes.
Rockingham
- Older single-storey houses
- Separate houses on traditional lots made up 4,526 of the occupied homes counted at the 2021 Census, in widely varying condition.
- Villas, duplexes and townhouses
- The 2021 Census counted 1,390 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings, typically strata titled and a smaller alternative to a detached house.
- Foreshore apartments
- Flats and apartments numbered 977 at the 2021 Census, concentrated near the beach, some with short-stay use in the building.
Official sale price and rent figures for Mandurah and Rockingham
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.
Mandurah
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Mandurah, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Rockingham
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Rockingham, 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 Mandurah and Rockingham
Mandurah
Transport
- Mandurah Station (train)
- Lakelands Station (train)
- Transperth buses (bus)
- Kwinana Freeway (road)
Amenities
- Mandurah Ocean Marina
- Peel-Harvey Estuary
- Mandurah city centre
Rockingham
Transport
- Rockingham Station (train)
- Route 555 (bus)
- Patterson Road and Ennis Avenue (road)
- Rockingham Beach Road (road)
Schools and campuses
- Rockingham Senior High School (secondary, government)
- Rockingham Beach Primary School (primary, government)
- Bungaree Primary School (primary, government)
- Kolbe Catholic College (secondary, catholic)
- Star of the Sea Primary School (primary, catholic)
- South Metropolitan TAFE, Rockingham campus (tertiary, tafe)
Amenities
- Rockingham Beach Foreshore
- Rockingham General Hospital (Cooloongup)
- Rockingham Centre
- Lake Richmond
- Churchill Park and Bell Park
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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