Medina vs RockinghamTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Medina (WA 6167) is approximately 32 km south of the Perth CBD, the first of the Kwinana neighbourhood units. Rockingham (WA 6168) is approximately 40 km south-west of the Perth CBD, on Cockburn Sound. At the 2021 Census, Medina had 2,260 residents with a median age of 42, 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 7% of occupied dwellings in Medina and 14% in Rockingham, while 34% of Medina 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 6167 · Southern suburbs of Perth
Medina
Medina is a small 1950s Kwinana suburb designed by Perth's first female town planner, built for refinery workers and now the most affordable in these guides.
City of Kwinana. Approximately 32 km south of the Perth CBD, the first of the Kwinana neighbourhood units.
Read the full Medina 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 Medina 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 Medina 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 Medina 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.
Medina 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 | Medina | Rockingham |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 2,260 | 15,312 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 42 | 49 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.0 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,062 | $1,169 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $270 | $300 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,200 | $1,517 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 34% | 38% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 42% | 27% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 23% | 34% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 93% | 66% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 1% | 20% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 7% | 14% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 31% | 27% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 16% | 30% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 12% | 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 Medina 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.
Medina
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Some lenders apply a lower maximum loan-to-value ratio where former public housing is concentrated.
- The suburb is small, with 1,007 occupied dwellings, so comparable sales evidence is thin.
- Smaller two-bedroom dwellings may fall below the minimum floor area some lenders require.
- Asbestos-containing materials are likely in 1950s housing, which inspections and insurers consider.
- The Kwinana industrial strip to the west can affect amenity and lender appetite for nearby security.
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 Medina and Rockingham compared
Medina
- 1950s neighbourhood unit housing
- Separate houses numbered 933 at the 2021 Census, 92.7 per cent of occupied homes, built for industrial workers.
- Smaller dwellings
- At the 2021 Census, 263 dwellings had two bedrooms and 512 had three, with only 136 having four.
- Flats and apartments
- The 69 flats counted at the 2021 Census are a small but notable component for a suburb of this size.
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 Medina 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.
Medina
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Medina, 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 Medina and Rockingham
Medina
Transport
- Kwinana Station (train)
- Transperth buses (bus)
- Kwinana Freeway (road)
Amenities
- Kwinana town centre
- Medina local shops
- Medina reserves
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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Request a free assessment: Medina or Rockingham
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