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Suburb comparison

Mascot vs ZetlandTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan

Mascot (NSW 2020) is approximately 6 km south of the Sydney CBD, adjoining Sydney Airport. Zetland (NSW 2017) is approximately 4 km south of the Sydney CBD, in the Green Square renewal area. At the 2021 Census, Mascot had 21,591 residents with a median age of 30, and Zetland had 12,622 residents with a median age of 30.

In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments. Flats and apartments made up 74% of occupied dwellings in Mascot and 92% in Zetland, while 58% of Mascot households rented compared with 71% in Zetland. 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.

What buying in Mascot and Zetland 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 Zetland.

Your prices and deposit

Enter the price you are seeing in each suburb. BorrowWise does not quote prices, so the comparison uses yours.

Mascot

Enter a price for Mascot to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.

Zetland

Enter a price for Zetland 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 Zetland: 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.

2021 Census profile of Mascot and Zetland
MeasureMascotZetland
People and households
Residents21,59112,622
Median ageAustralia 383030
Average household sizeAustralia 2.52.52.0
Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746$2,254$2,192
Housing costs at the 2021 Census
Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375$600$600
Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863$2,600$2,642
Who owns and who rents
Households rentingAustralia 31%58%71%
Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35%25%20%
Owned outrightAustralia 31%16%8%
Types of home
Separate housesAustralia 72%21%0%
Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13%4%7%
Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14%74%92%
Homes with two bedrooms or fewer64%86%
Homes with four bedrooms or more9%2%
Dwellings unoccupied on Census night11%15%

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 Zetland

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.

Zetland

  • Investors
  • First home buyers
  • Single-development exposure limits are frequently reached in a suburb of large towers.
  • One-bedroom dwellings and studios often fall below minimum internal floor areas.
  • Special levies for defect rectification can be significant in recent high-rise.
  • Green Square is still being built out, so outlook and sunlight may change.
  • Former industrial land means contamination history is worth reading on the 10.7 certificate.

Housing stock in Mascot and Zetland 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.

Zetland

Recently built apartments
The 5,597 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 92.5 per cent of occupied homes.
One and two bedroom dwellings
At the 2021 Census, 3,400 dwellings had two bedrooms, 1,773 had one and 59 were studios.
Almost no houses
Only 21 separate houses were counted among occupied private dwellings at the 2021 Census.

Official sale price and rent figures for Mascot and Zetland

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.

Zetland

No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Zetland, 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 Zetland

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

Zetland

Transport

  • Green Square Station (train)
  • Waterloo Metro (metro)
  • Sydney buses (bus)
  • Botany Road (road)

Amenities

  • Green Square town centre
  • Green Square Library
  • 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.

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