Rivervale vs Victoria ParkTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Rivervale (WA 6103) is approximately 5 km east of the Perth CBD, near the Swan River. Victoria Park (WA 6100) is approximately 4 km south-east of the Perth CBD, across the Causeway. At the 2021 Census, Rivervale had 10,897 residents with a median age of 34, and Victoria Park had 9,334 residents with a median age of 35.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 36% of occupied dwellings in Rivervale and 25% in Victoria Park, while 54% of Rivervale households rented compared with 53% in Victoria Park. 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 6103 · Inner eastern suburbs of Perth
Rivervale
Rivervale is an inner-eastern Perth suburb where apartments make up over a third of homes, renting exceeds half of households and vacancy is high.
City of Belmont. Approximately 5 km east of the Perth CBD, near the Swan River.
Read the full Rivervale guideWA 6100 · Inner south-east Perth
Victoria Park
Victoria Park is an inner south-east Perth suburb of character cottages, townhouses and apartments around Albany Highway, where most households rent.
Town of Victoria Park. Approximately 4 km south-east of the Perth CBD, across the Causeway.
Read the full Victoria Park guide
What buying in Rivervale and Victoria Park 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 Rivervale and Victoria Park.
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 Rivervale to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Victoria Park 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.
Rivervale and Victoria Park: 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 | Rivervale | Victoria Park |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 10,897 | 9,334 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 34 | 35 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,723 | $1,828 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $350 | $345 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,760 | $1,946 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 54% | 53% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 29% | 25% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 16% | 20% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 43% | 38% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 21% | 37% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 36% | 25% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 46% | 41% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 17% | 11% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 15% | 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 Rivervale and Victoria Park
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.
Rivervale
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- 765 one-bedroom and 1,475 two-bedroom dwellings mean much of the stock sits near lenders' minimum floor areas.
- Many lenders limit exposure to a single building, which can affect approval even when the borrower qualifies.
- Strata levies are counted in serviceability assessments, and defect rectification levies can be significant.
- 886 dwellings were unoccupied on Census night, about 15 per cent, which bears on rental demand.
- New apartment supply competes with established stock, which affects both resale values and rents.
Victoria Park
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Older cottages may need restumping, rewiring or roofing work, and valuers take condition into account when assessing the property as security.
- Valuers generally assess a lot as it stands, so a premium paid for subdivision potential may need to be funded from the buyer's own savings.
- Building a rear dwelling usually requires a construction loan, drawn down in stages against a fixed-price building contract.
- Small one-bedroom and studio apartments may fall below the minimum internal floor area that some lenders and mortgage insurers require.
- Strata levies for villas, townhouses and apartments are counted in serviceability assessments and therefore reduce borrowing capacity.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance, building and timber pest conditions need to be written into the offer.
Housing stock in Rivervale and Victoria Park compared
Rivervale
- Apartments
- At 1,760 dwellings, or 36.1 per cent of occupied homes at the 2021 Census, well above the national 14.2 per cent.
- Townhouses and semi-detached dwellings
- The 1,034 attached dwellings counted at the 2021 Census, 21.2 per cent of occupied homes.
- Older detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 2,075 at the 2021 Census, only 42.6 per cent of occupied homes, mostly in interior streets.
Victoria Park
- Character cottages and bungalows
- Pre-war brick and weatherboard homes, many restored and extended, within the Town's Residential Character Study Area.
- Villas and townhouses
- Infill on subdivided cottage lots; 1,536 semi-detached, terrace or townhouse dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census.
- Low to mid-rise apartments
- Older flats and newer mixed-use buildings near Albany Highway; 1,030 occupied flats or apartments were counted at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Rivervale and Victoria Park
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.
Rivervale
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Rivervale, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Victoria Park
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Victoria Park, 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 Rivervale and Victoria Park
Rivervale
Transport
- Route 935 (bus)
- Route 940 (bus)
- Route 270 (bus)
- Redcliffe Station (train)
- Great Eastern Highway (road)
Amenities
- Swan River foreshore
- Belmont Forum
- Optus Stadium and Burswood precinct
Victoria Park
Transport
- Victoria Park Station (train)
- Causeway Bus Station (bus)
- Albany Highway bus services (bus)
- The Causeway (road)
- Boorloo Bridge (road)
Schools and campuses
- Victoria Park Primary School (primary, government)
- Ursula Frayne Catholic College (combined, catholic)
- Regent College (primary, independent)
- Victoria Park Christian School (primary, independent)
Amenities
- Albany Highway retail and dining strip
- McCallum Park
- McCallum Park Active Area
- Raphael Park
- Town of Victoria Park Administration 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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Request a free assessment: Rivervale or Victoria Park
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in Rivervale and Victoria Park, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.