Mascot vs WaterlooTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan
Mascot (NSW 2020) is approximately 6 km south of the Sydney CBD, adjoining Sydney Airport. Waterloo (NSW 2017) is approximately 3 km south of the Sydney CBD, on the Metro line. At the 2021 Census, Mascot had 21,591 residents with a median age of 30, 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 74% of occupied dwellings in Mascot and 91% in Waterloo, while 58% of Mascot 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 2020 · Inner South Sydney
Mascot
Mascot adjoins Sydney Airport, with 74.3 per cent of homes apartments, 57.5 per cent renting, and aircraft noise a central consideration for buyers.
Bayside. Approximately 6 km south of the Sydney CBD, adjoining Sydney Airport.
Read the full Mascot 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 Mascot 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 Mascot 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 Mascot 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.
Mascot 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 | Mascot | Waterloo |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 21,591 | 16,379 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 30 | 33 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.8 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,254 | $2,028 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $600 | $530 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,600 | $2,500 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 58% | 74% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 25% | 18% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 16% | 6% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 21% | 0% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 4% | 8% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 74% | 91% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 64% | 83% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 9% | 1% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 11% | 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 Mascot 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.
Mascot
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Aircraft noise varies materially by address, and ANEF contours should be checked.
- Special levies for defect rectification can be significant in recent high-rise.
- One-bedroom dwellings can fall below lenders' minimum internal floor areas.
- Single-development exposure limits apply in a suburb built through large complexes.
- Insurers may price airport proximity differently, so obtain a quote early.
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 Mascot and Waterloo compared
Mascot
- Apartments near the station
- The 6,026 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 74.3 per cent of occupied homes.
- Surviving detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 1,704 at the 2021 Census, 21.0 per cent of occupied homes.
- Two bedroom dwellings
- At 3,704 dwellings, the most common size recorded 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 Mascot 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.
Mascot
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Mascot, 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 Mascot and Waterloo
Mascot
Transport
- Mascot Station (train)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- O'Riordan Street (road)
- Sydney Airport (airport)
Amenities
- Mascot station shops
- Mascot Memorial Park
- Green Square town centre
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 Mascot or Waterloo with another suburb
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Request a free assessment: Mascot or Waterloo
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Mascot and Waterloo, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.