Rockingham vs ScarboroughTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Rockingham (WA 6168) is approximately 40 km south-west of the Perth CBD, on Cockburn Sound. Scarborough (WA 6019) is approximately 14 km north-west of the Perth CBD, on the Indian Ocean coast. At the 2021 Census, Rockingham had 15,312 residents with a median age of 49, and Scarborough had 17,605 residents with a median age of 36.
The most common occupied dwelling was separate houses in Rockingham and townhouses and terraces in Scarborough. Flats and apartments made up 14% of occupied dwellings in Rockingham and 16% in Scarborough, while 38% of Rockingham households rented compared with 40% in Scarborough. 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 6168 · Perth's southern coastal corridor
Rockingham
Rockingham is a coastal strategic centre south of Perth with older houses, villas and foreshore apartments, an older population and many renters.
City of Rockingham. Approximately 40 km south-west of the Perth CBD, on Cockburn Sound.
Read the full Rockingham guideWA 6019 · Perth's northern coastal suburbs
Scarborough
Scarborough is a Perth beachside suburb where townhouses and villas outnumber houses, with a redeveloped foreshore and a large rental market.
City of Stirling. Approximately 14 km north-west of the Perth CBD, on the Indian Ocean coast.
Read the full Scarborough guide
What buying in Rockingham and Scarborough 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 Rockingham and Scarborough.
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 Rockingham to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Scarborough 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.
Rockingham and Scarborough: 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 | Rockingham | Scarborough |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 15,312 | 17,605 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 49 | 36 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.1 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,169 | $2,107 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $300 | $405 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,517 | $2,167 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 38% | 40% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 27% | 35% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 34% | 24% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 66% | 36% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 20% | 48% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 14% | 16% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 27% | 35% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 30% | 15% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 14% | 13% |
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 Rockingham and Scarborough
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.
Rockingham
- Downsizers
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Some lenders restrict serviced or short-stay apartments and set minimum internal floor areas, which can narrow the choice of lender for foreshore units.
- Strata levies, reserve fund balances and planned remedial works in coastal buildings affect both valuation and borrowing capacity assessments.
- Borrowers close to retirement are usually asked for an exit strategy, and the loan term offered may be shorter than the standard term.
- Downsizers buying before selling may need bridging finance or an offer made subject to the sale of their existing home.
- Property within mapped coastal hazard or bush fire prone areas may cost more to insure, and lenders require insurance at settlement.
Scarborough
- Upgraders
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Downsizers
- Most dwellings are strata titled, so levies, reserve funds and planned works affect both valuation and serviceability.
- Coastal exposure accelerates corrosion and concrete deterioration, and lenders expect borrowers to meet higher insurance and maintenance costs.
- Serviced, short-stay and very small apartments near the beachfront may be restricted or declined by some lenders.
- View premiums are difficult for valuers to support without comparable sales, so a valuation shortfall is possible.
- With no mandatory cooling-off period in Western Australia, finance and inspection conditions need to be included in the offer itself.
Housing stock in Rockingham and Scarborough compared
Rockingham
- Older single-storey houses
- Separate houses on traditional lots made up 4,526 of the occupied homes counted at the 2021 Census, in widely varying condition.
- Villas, duplexes and townhouses
- The 2021 Census counted 1,390 semi-detached or townhouse dwellings, typically strata titled and a smaller alternative to a detached house.
- Foreshore apartments
- Flats and apartments numbered 977 at the 2021 Census, concentrated near the beach, some with short-stay use in the building.
Scarborough
- Townhouses, villas and duplexes
- The dominant dwelling type, produced by decades of lot redevelopment; 3,635 such dwellings were counted at the 2021 Census.
- Detached houses
- A mix of remaining mid-century houses on larger lots and newer architect-designed homes oriented to ocean views.
- Apartments and older flats
- Walk-up flats from earlier decades and mid-rise buildings near the beachfront, some with short-stay use.
Official sale price and rent figures for Rockingham and Scarborough
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.
Rockingham
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Rockingham, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Scarborough
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Scarborough, 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 Rockingham and Scarborough
Rockingham
Transport
- Rockingham Station (train)
- Route 555 (bus)
- Patterson Road and Ennis Avenue (road)
- Rockingham Beach Road (road)
Schools and campuses
- Rockingham Senior High School (secondary, government)
- Rockingham Beach Primary School (primary, government)
- Bungaree Primary School (primary, government)
- Kolbe Catholic College (secondary, catholic)
- Star of the Sea Primary School (primary, catholic)
- South Metropolitan TAFE, Rockingham campus (tertiary, tafe)
Amenities
- Rockingham Beach Foreshore
- Rockingham General Hospital (Cooloongup)
- Rockingham Centre
- Lake Richmond
- Churchill Park and Bell Park
Scarborough
Transport
- Surf CAT (bus)
- Transperth route 990 (bus)
- Stirling Station (train)
- Scarborough Beach Road (road)
Schools and campuses
- Scarborough Primary School (primary, government)
Amenities
- Scarborough Beach
- Scarborough Beach Pool
- Sunset Hill
- Whale Playground
- Scarborough Amphitheatre
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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