Point Piper vs RandwickTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan
Point Piper (NSW 2027) is approximately 5 km east of the Sydney CBD, on a harbour peninsula. Randwick (NSW 2031) is approximately 6 km south-east of the Sydney CBD, on the light rail. At the 2021 Census, Point Piper had 1,334 residents with a median age of 52, and Randwick had 28,943 residents with a median age of 36.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments. Flats and apartments made up 71% of occupied dwellings in Point Piper and 68% in Randwick, while 29% of Point Piper households rented compared with 51% in Randwick. 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.
NSW 2027 · Eastern Suburbs
Point Piper
Point Piper is a small Woollahra harbour peninsula with the highest household income and mortgage repayments recorded anywhere in these guides.
Municipality of Woollahra. Approximately 5 km east of the Sydney CBD, on a harbour peninsula.
Read the full Point Piper guideNSW 2031 · Eastern Suburbs
Randwick
Randwick is an eastern suburbs hospital and university centre where apartments make up 68.3 per cent of homes and only 13.8 per cent are houses.
City of Randwick. Approximately 6 km south-east of the Sydney CBD, on the light rail.
Read the full Randwick guide
What buying in Point Piper and Randwick 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 Point Piper and Randwick.
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 Point Piper to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Randwick 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.
Point Piper and Randwick: 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 | Point Piper | Randwick |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 1,334 | 28,943 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 52 | 36 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.2 | 2.2 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $4,530 | $2,422 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $900 | $572 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $5,000 | $3,000 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 29% | 51% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 19% | 24% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 51% | 23% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 26% | 14% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 3% | 16% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 71% | 68% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 36% | 65% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 28% | 13% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 21% | 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 Point Piper and Randwick
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.
Point Piper
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Some lenders decline above a value threshold or require two independent valuations.
- Individual harbourside properties are not comparable, so valuations are inherently uncertain.
- Sea walls, jetties and retaining structures may be owner responsibilities requiring consent.
- Heritage listing can materially constrain what a buyer can do with a site.
- At these prices, cooling-off at 0.25 per cent is a very large sum and s66W raises it to 10.
Randwick
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Upgraders
- There is no cooling-off period at auction, the usual sale method in this market.
- One-bedroom dwellings and studios can fall below lenders' minimum internal floor areas.
- Student accommodation near the university is specialised security many lenders refuse.
- Median monthly repayments of $3,000 mean serviceability binds well before deposit.
- Heritage listing in parts of the suburb can constrain demolition and alterations.
Housing stock in Point Piper and Randwick compared
Point Piper
- Harbourside apartments
- The 378 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 71.1 per cent of occupied homes.
- Substantial harbourside houses
- Separate houses numbered 136 at the 2021 Census, with 80 dwellings having five or more bedrooms.
- Very few attached dwellings
- Only 18 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census.
Randwick
- Apartments
- The 8,047 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 68.3 per cent of occupied homes.
- Semi-detached and townhouse dwellings
- At 1,885 dwellings, or 16.0 per cent of occupied homes at the 2021 Census.
- Few freestanding houses
- Separate houses numbered only 1,626 at the 2021 Census, 13.8 per cent of occupied homes.
Official sale price and rent figures for Point Piper and Randwick
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.
Point Piper
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Point Piper, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Randwick
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Randwick, 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 Point Piper and Randwick
Point Piper
Transport
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Double Bay Wharf (ferry)
- Rose Bay Wharf (ferry)
- New South Head Road (road)
Amenities
- Sydney Harbour foreshore
- Double Bay shopping
- Rose Bay
Randwick
Transport
- Randwick light rail (light rail)
- UNSW High Street light rail (light rail)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Anzac Parade (road)
Amenities
- Randwick hospital campus
- University of New South Wales
- Centennial Park
- Royal Randwick Racecourse
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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Request a free assessment: Point Piper or Randwick
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Point Piper and Randwick, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.