Maroubra vs Point PiperTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan
Maroubra (NSW 2035) is approximately 8 km south-east of the Sydney CBD, on the coast. Point Piper (NSW 2027) is approximately 5 km east of the Sydney CBD, on a harbour peninsula. At the 2021 Census, Maroubra had 30,722 residents with a median age of 39, 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 49% of occupied dwellings in Maroubra and 71% in Point Piper, while 43% of Maroubra 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 2035 · Eastern Suburbs
Maroubra
Maroubra is a coastal eastern suburbs beach suburb of 30,722 residents with the most balanced housing mix in this group and 30.2 per cent owning outright.
City of Randwick. Approximately 8 km south-east of the Sydney CBD, on the coast.
Read the full Maroubra 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 Maroubra 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 Maroubra 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 Maroubra 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.
Maroubra 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 | Maroubra | Point Piper |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 30,722 | 1,334 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 39 | 52 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.4 | 2.2 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,141 | $4,530 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $540 | $900 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $3,000 | $5,000 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 43% | 29% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 24% | 19% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 30% | 51% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 30% | 26% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 21% | 3% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 49% | 71% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 48% | 36% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 22% | 28% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 8% | 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 Maroubra 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.
Maroubra
- Upgraders
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Insurers may treat coastal exposure as a rating factor for building cover.
- Salt-laden air accelerates corrosion of external metalwork and fixings near the beach.
- Three dwelling types trade here, so comparisons must come from the same type.
- There is no railway station and no direct light rail, so test the actual journey.
- There is no cooling-off period at auction, which is common in this market.
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 Maroubra and Point Piper compared
Maroubra
- Apartments
- The 5,821 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 48.5 per cent of occupied homes.
- Detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 3,550 at the 2021 Census, 29.6 per cent of occupied homes.
- Semi-detached and townhouse dwellings
- At 2,509 dwellings, or 20.9 per cent of occupied homes at the 2021 Census.
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 Maroubra 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.
Maroubra
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Maroubra, 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 Maroubra and Point Piper
Maroubra
Transport
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Juniors Kingsford light rail (light rail)
- Anzac Parade (road)
- Maroubra Road (road)
Amenities
- Maroubra Beach
- Maroubra Junction
- Pioneers Park
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.
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Request a free assessment: Maroubra or Point Piper
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Maroubra and Point Piper, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.