Marrickville vs WaterlooTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan
Marrickville (NSW 2204) is approximately 7 km south-west of the Sydney CBD, in the inner west. Waterloo (NSW 2017) is approximately 3 km south of the Sydney CBD, on the Metro line. At the 2021 Census, Marrickville had 26,570 residents with a median age of 37, and Waterloo had 16,379 residents with a median age of 33.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments. Flats and apartments made up 47% of occupied dwellings in Marrickville and 91% in Waterloo, while 47% of Marrickville households rented compared with 74% in Waterloo. 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 2204 · Inner West Sydney
Marrickville
Marrickville is a large inner west suburb with a genuine mix of houses, terraces and apartments, and a rail line being converted for metro operation.
Inner West. Approximately 7 km south-west of the Sydney CBD, in the inner west.
Read the full Marrickville guideNSW 2017 · Inner South Sydney
Waterloo
Waterloo gained a metro station in August 2024 and records the highest renting share and lowest outright ownership of any suburb in these guides.
City of Sydney. Approximately 3 km south of the Sydney CBD, on the Metro line.
Read the full Waterloo guide
What buying in Marrickville and Waterloo 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 Marrickville and Waterloo.
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 Marrickville to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Waterloo 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.
Marrickville and Waterloo: 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 | Marrickville | Waterloo |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 26,570 | 16,379 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 37 | 33 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.3 | 1.8 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,170 | $2,028 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $480 | $530 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,600 | $2,500 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 47% | 74% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 28% | 18% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 24% | 6% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 32% | 0% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 19% | 8% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 47% | 91% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 57% | 83% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 14% | 1% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 9% | 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 Marrickville and Waterloo
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.
Marrickville
- Upgraders
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Parts of the suburb sit under Sydney Airport flight paths, and exposure varies by address.
- Warehouse conversions and mixed-use buildings can attract different lending treatment.
- Heritage listing can raise insurance and the cost of compliant repairs.
- Older terraces raise damp, structural and asbestos questions on inspection.
- There is no cooling-off period at auction, a common sale method in the inner west.
Waterloo
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Studios and one-bedroom units often fall below minimum floor areas, and some lenders decline studios.
- Some lenders apply lower maximum loan-to-value ratios where social housing is concentrated.
- Single-development exposure limits apply in a suburb built through large towers.
- The metro station opened in August 2024, after the Census these figures describe.
- Renting at 74.1 per cent means most purchases are assessed as investment lending.
Housing stock in Marrickville and Waterloo compared
Marrickville
- Apartments and warehouse conversions
- The 5,020 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 47.2 per cent of occupied homes.
- Detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 3,404 at the 2021 Census, 32.0 per cent of occupied homes.
- Terraces and semi-detached dwellings
- At 1,969 dwellings, or 18.5 per cent of occupied homes at the 2021 Census.
Waterloo
- Apartments
- The 7,330 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 91.1 per cent of occupied homes.
- Studios and one bedroom dwellings
- At the 2021 Census, 2,221 dwellings had one bedroom and 264 were studios, the highest studio count in these guides.
- Almost no houses
- Only 40 separate houses were counted among occupied private dwellings at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Marrickville and Waterloo
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.
Marrickville
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Marrickville, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Waterloo
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Waterloo, 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 Marrickville and Waterloo
Marrickville
Transport
- Marrickville Station (train)
- Sydenham Metro (metro)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Marrickville Road (road)
Amenities
- Marrickville Road shops
- Marrickville Metro
- Cooks River foreshore
Waterloo
Transport
- Waterloo Metro (metro)
- Green Square Station (train)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Botany Road (road)
Amenities
- Green Square town centre
- Waterloo Park
- Gunyama Park
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 Marrickville or Waterloo with another suburb
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Request a free assessment: Marrickville or Waterloo
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Marrickville and Waterloo, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.