Midland vs MorleyTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Midland (WA 6056) is approximately 16 km north-east of the Perth CBD, where Great Eastern Highway and Great Northern Highway meet. Morley (WA 6062) is approximately 9 km north-east of the Perth CBD. At the 2021 Census, Midland had 6,335 residents with a median age of 39, and Morley had 22,539 residents with a median age of 39.
The most common occupied dwelling was townhouses and terraces in Midland and separate houses in Morley. Flats and apartments made up 17% of occupied dwellings in Midland and 1% in Morley, while 63% of Midland households rented compared with 28% in Morley. 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 6056 · Eastern metropolitan Perth
Midland
Midland is the strategic centre of Perth's east, with a rail terminus rebuilt in 2026, a public hospital, heritage workshops and mostly rented townhouses.
City of Swan. Approximately 16 km north-east of the Perth CBD, where Great Eastern Highway and Great Northern Highway meet.
Read the full Midland guideWA 6062 · North-east metropolitan Perth
Morley
Morley is a middle-ring Perth suburb of post-war houses on subdividable lots, with a strategic retail centre and a station on the Ellenbrook Line.
City of Bayswater. Approximately 9 km north-east of the Perth CBD.
Read the full Morley guide
What buying in Midland and Morley 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 Midland and Morley.
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 Midland to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Morley 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.
Midland and Morley: 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 | Midland | Morley |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 6,335 | 22,539 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 39 | 39 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 1.9 | 2.5 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,138 | $1,583 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $295 | $360 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,350 | $1,733 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 63% | 28% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 19% | 35% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 17% | 35% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 32% | 83% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 51% | 16% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 17% | 1% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 42% | 9% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 7% | 38% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 14% | 7% |
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 Midland and Morley
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.
Midland
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Some lenders apply minimum internal floor areas and limit exposure to a single building or to postcodes with many units, which can reduce the maximum loan.
- Strata levies are included in serviceability assessments, and scheme insurance, reserve funds and planned works affect valuation.
- Lenders usually count only part of expected rent when assessing an investor's capacity, which matters in a suburb where most households rent.
- Flood prone and aircraft noise special control areas apply to parts of Midland, so insurance quotes are worth obtaining before an offer becomes unconditional.
- Heritage-listed places and converted workshop buildings may be valued more conservatively because alterations require approval.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance, inspection and strata disclosure matters need attention before signing.
Morley
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Downsizers
- Western Australian contracts carry no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance and inspection conditions need to be written into the offer before it is signed.
- Valuers assess an older house on a subdividable lot as it stands, not on a projected development outcome, which matters for buyers paying a premium for potential.
- Building a second dwelling usually requires a construction loan drawn in stages, and some lenders treat multi-dwelling projects as commercial lending.
- Strata and survey-strata villas require a precontractual disclosure statement, and levies and insurance arrangements feed into serviceability and valuation.
- Post-war houses can contain asbestos-containing materials, original wiring and unapproved additions, which affect inspection results, insurance and renovation budgets.
Housing stock in Midland and Morley compared
Midland
- Strata villas and townhouses
- Semi-detached, terrace and townhouse dwellings numbered 1,468 of the 2,900 occupied homes counted at the 2021 Census.
- Older detached houses
- Separate houses in the streets around the town centre, some on lots with split density codings and some subject to heritage listing.
- Apartments and mixed-use buildings
- Flats and apartments numbered 487 at the 2021 Census, including newer buildings above shops in the town centre and workshops precinct.
- Medium-density redevelopment housing
- Townhouses and compact homes delivered through the DevelopmentWA program, such as the Woodbridge Lakes neighbourhood.
Morley
- Post-war detached houses
- Single-storey family homes on traditional lots; separate houses numbered 7,257 of the 8,693 occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census.
- Strata villas and townhouses
- Infill dwellings built behind or in place of original houses, usually on strata or survey-strata titles with small owner groups.
- Rebuilt and newer houses
- Two-storey and project homes constructed on original or subdivided lots, generally free of the maintenance issues of older stock.
- Activity centre apartments
- A small number of flats and apartments, with the Morley Activity Centre Plan providing for more mixed-use and residential buildings over time.
Official sale price and rent figures for Midland and Morley
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.
Midland
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Midland, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Morley
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Morley, 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 Midland and Morley
Midland
Transport
- Midland Station (train)
- Midland Station bus interchange (bus)
- Great Eastern Highway (road)
- Great Northern Highway (road)
Schools and campuses
- Moorditj Noongar Community College (primary, government)
- Governor Stirling Senior High School (secondary, government)
- La Salle College (secondary, catholic)
- St Brigid's Primary School (primary, catholic)
- Curtin University, Midland Campus (tertiary, university)
- North Metropolitan TAFE, Midland Campus (tertiary, tafe)
Amenities
- St John of God Midland Public Hospital
- Midland Gate Shopping Centre
- Midland Railway Workshops and Railway Square
- Swan Active Midland
- Midland Library
Morley
Transport
- Morley Station (train)
- Morley Station bus interchange (bus)
- Morley Bus Station (bus)
- Tonkin Highway (road)
Schools and campuses
- Morley Primary School (primary, government)
- Weld Square Primary School (primary, government)
- Hampton Senior High School (secondary, government)
- John Forrest Secondary College (secondary, government)
- Infant Jesus School (primary, catholic)
Amenities
- Galleria Shopping Centre
- Morley Library
- Morley Sport and Recreation Centre
- City of Bayswater Civic Centre
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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