Mitcham vs NorwoodTwo Adelaide suburbs compared for a home loan
Mitcham (SA 5062) is approximately 7 km south of the Adelaide CBD, at the foot of the Mount Lofty Ranges. Norwood (SA 5067) is approximately 4 km east of the Adelaide CBD. At the 2021 Census, Mitcham had 1,832 residents with a median age of 44, and Norwood had 6,354 residents with a median age of 40.
The most common occupied dwelling was separate houses in Mitcham and townhouses and terraces in Norwood. Flats and apartments made up 20% of occupied dwellings in Mitcham and 15% in Norwood, while 23% of Mitcham households rented compared with 45% in Norwood. 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.
SA 5062 · Adelaide's inner south
Mitcham
Mitcham is a small inner-southern village suburb on the Belair line, mixing colonial-era houses with an unusually high share of units for the area.
City of Mitcham. Approximately 7 km south of the Adelaide CBD, at the foot of the Mount Lofty Ranges.
Read the full Mitcham guideSA 5067 · Adelaide's inner east
Norwood
Norwood is an inner-eastern Adelaide suburb centred on The Parade, with historic cottages, many townhouses and units, and a large rental market.
City of Norwood Payneham and St Peters. Approximately 4 km east of the Adelaide CBD.
Read the full Norwood guide
What buying in Mitcham and Norwood 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 Mitcham and Norwood.
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 Mitcham to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
- Loan amount
- $1,980,000
- Loan to value ratio
- 95.2%
- Transfer duty, South Australia
- $108,230
- Lenders mortgage insurance
- Deposit under 5%
- Upfront cash needed
- $211,230
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.
Mitcham and Norwood: 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 | Mitcham | Norwood |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 1,832 | 6,354 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 44 | 40 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.0 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,996 | $1,752 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $328 | $390 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 23% | 45% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 36% | 21% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 39% | 31% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 62% | 35% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 17% | 50% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 20% | 15% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 29% | 50% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 32% | 10% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 9% | 11% |
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 Mitcham and Norwood
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.
Mitcham
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Older strata units may have modest sinking funds, and corporation levies are included in serviceability assessments.
- Small units can fall below the minimum internal floor area that some lenders and mortgage insurers require.
- Heritage listings and historic area policy affect a number of properties, which valuers take into account for renovation lending.
- Brown Hill Creek flood mapping and foothills bushfire hazard both affect parts of the suburb and influence insurance, which lenders require at settlement.
- South Australian auction purchases carry no cooling-off period or finance condition, so pre-approval and inspections come first.
Norwood
- Upgraders
- Investors
- Downsizers
- First home buyers
- Auction purchases carry no cooling-off period or finance condition in South Australia, so pre-approval and inspections need to be completed before bidding.
- Valuations of character homes can vary because renovation quality, allotment size and parking differ widely between otherwise similar properties.
- Heritage listing or the Historic Area Overlay can limit demolition and alterations, which valuers and lenders take into account for renovation lending.
- Older strata units may have low sinking fund balances, and levies are counted in serviceability assessments.
- Apartments above commercial premises and very small units may attract lower maximum loan-to-value ratios with some lenders.
Housing stock in Mitcham and Norwood compared
Mitcham
- Colonial and Victorian stone houses
- Cottages and villas from the village period established in 1853, many on the older streets near Mitcham Reserve.
- Home units and apartments
- Flats and apartments numbered 144 at the 2021 Census, 19.9 per cent of occupied homes, above the national share.
- Townhouses and maisonettes
- The 125 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings counted at the 2021 Census are mostly infill on redeveloped sites.
- Detached houses on larger allotments
- Later bungalows and post-war houses, some on generous blocks running back towards Brown Hill Creek.
Norwood
- Townhouses, maisonettes and row dwellings
- The largest category, at 1,465 of the occupied dwellings counted at the 2021 Census, spanning historic row cottages and modern infill.
- Character cottages and villas
- Nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century stone and brick houses, many within the Historic Area Overlay.
- Home units and apartments
- Mid-century strata units in small groups and newer apartments on and near The Parade.
Official sale price and rent figures for Mitcham and Norwood
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.
Mitcham
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Mitcham, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Norwood
- Median house price, 2025 Q1
- $2,080,000
- Median weekly rent, houses (all bedrooms), 2024 Q4
- $668
- Median weekly rent, 2 bedroom flat/unit, 2024 Q4
- $575
Source: Office of the Valuer-General, Government of South Australia (published by the Department for Housing and Urban Development on Data SA); SA Housing Trust (SA Housing Authority), from Consumer and Business Services rental bond data.
Transport, schools and amenities in Mitcham and Norwood
Mitcham
Transport
- Mitcham Station (train)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Belair Road (road)
- Goodwood Road (road)
Schools and campuses
- Mitcham Primary School (Kingswood) (primary, government)
Amenities
- Mitcham Reserve (Wirraparinga)
- Brown Hill Creek corridor
- Belair Road shops
Norwood
Transport
- Adelaide Metro buses on The Parade (bus)
- The Parade (road)
- Portrush Road (road)
- Fullarton Road (road)
Schools and campuses
- Norwood Primary School (primary, government)
- St Joseph's Memorial School (primary, catholic)
Amenities
- The Parade
- Norwood Library
- Norwood Town Hall
- Norwood Swimming Centre
- Norwood Oval
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the South Australia education department.
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