Morphett Vale vs WoodcroftTwo Adelaide suburbs compared for a home loan
Morphett Vale (SA 5162) is approximately 24 km south of the Adelaide CBD, east of the Southern Expressway. Woodcroft (SA 5162) is approximately 20 km south of the Adelaide CBD, between Panalatinga Road and the Hills Face Zone. At the 2021 Census, Morphett Vale had 24,002 residents with a median age of 40, and Woodcroft had 11,326 residents with a median age of 42.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 0% of occupied dwellings in Morphett Vale and 1% in Woodcroft, while 29% of Morphett Vale households rented compared with 15% in Woodcroft. 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 5162 · Adelaide's southern suburbs
Morphett Vale
Morphett Vale is South Australia's largest suburb by population, a historic southern town subdivided in the 1960s with a large rental market and no station.
City of Onkaparinga. Approximately 24 km south of the Adelaide CBD, east of the Southern Expressway.
Read the full Morphett Vale guideSA 5162 · Adelaide's southern suburbs
Woodcroft
Woodcroft is a southern Adelaide suburb subdivided from winery land in the 1980s, bordered by the Hills Face Zone and built mainly of detached family homes.
City of Onkaparinga. Approximately 20 km south of the Adelaide CBD, between Panalatinga Road and the Hills Face Zone.
Read the full Woodcroft guide
What buying in Morphett Vale and Woodcroft 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 Morphett Vale and Woodcroft.
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 Morphett Vale to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Woodcroft 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.
Morphett Vale and Woodcroft: 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 | Morphett Vale | Woodcroft |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 24,002 | 11,326 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 40 | 42 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.6 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,199 | $1,664 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $295 | $350 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,300 | $1,517 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 29% | 15% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 42% | 47% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 28% | 32% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 85% | 88% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 15% | 7% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 0% | 1% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 17% | 12% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 18% | 38% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 5% | 3% |
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 Morphett Vale and Woodcroft
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.
Morphett Vale
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- High loan-to-value borrowing is common here, so lenders mortgage insurance or the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme is often relevant.
- Median household income is below the national figure, so serviceability rather than deposit is frequently the binding constraint.
- Plentiful comparable sales make valuations predictable, but also make a price above recent evidence easy for a valuer to test.
- Homes built before the 1980s may contain asbestos-containing materials, which inspections and some insurers consider.
- Properties near the Southern Expressway may be affected by traffic noise, which valuers sometimes note.
Woodcroft
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Downsizers
- Properties near the eastern boundary adjoin the Hills Face Zone, which restricts development on the face of the ranges.
- Panalatinga Creek runs through the suburb, so flood and stormwater overlays apply in parts of the catchment.
- Bushfire hazard increases on the eastern side, and habitable development in higher hazard areas is referred to the CFS.
- Sloping eastern blocks differ in usable land, access and retaining structures, which valuers take into account.
- Building insurance terms can differ where an address falls within mapped flood or bushfire areas, and lenders require cover at settlement.
Housing stock in Morphett Vale and Woodcroft compared
Morphett Vale
- Detached houses from the 1960s to 1980s
- Separate houses numbered 8,406 at the 2021 Census, 84.9 per cent of occupied homes, mostly single-storey on regular allotments.
- Townhouses and semi-detached dwellings
- At 1,459 dwellings, or 14.7 per cent of occupied homes, attached housing is a substantial part of this market.
- Three-bedroom family homes
- The most common size by a wide margin at 6,404 dwellings counted at the 2021 Census.
- Older town buildings
- A small number of nineteenth and early twentieth century properties survive from the town established from 1840.
Woodcroft
- Detached homes from the 1980s onward
- Separate houses numbered 3,783 at the 2021 Census, 88.5 per cent of occupied homes, built after the area was subdivided in the early 1980s.
- Four-bedroom family houses
- At 1,395 dwellings counted at the 2021 Census, larger family homes are a substantial part of the market.
- Townhouses and semi-detached dwellings
- The 312 attached dwellings counted at the 2021 Census are the main option for buyers seeking something smaller.
Official sale price and rent figures for Morphett Vale and Woodcroft
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.
Morphett Vale
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Morphett Vale, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Woodcroft
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Woodcroft, 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 Morphett Vale and Woodcroft
Morphett Vale
Transport
- Southern Expressway (road)
- Main South Road (road)
- Panalatinga Road (road)
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Noarlunga Centre Station (train)
Amenities
- Morphett Vale district shops
- Wilfred Taylor Reserve
Woodcroft
Transport
- Adelaide Metro buses (bus)
- Southern Expressway (road)
- Panalatinga Road (road)
- Reynell Road (road)
- Bains Road (road)
Amenities
- Panalatinga Creek reserve
- Wright Park
- Woodcroft local shops
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.
Compare Morphett Vale or Woodcroft with another suburb
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Request a free assessment: Morphett Vale or Woodcroft
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Morphett Vale and Woodcroft, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.