Rockingham vs SpearwoodTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Rockingham (WA 6168) is approximately 40 km south-west of the Perth CBD, on Cockburn Sound. Spearwood (WA 6163) is approximately 19 km south-west of the Perth CBD, south of Fremantle and inland from Coogee. At the 2021 Census, Rockingham had 15,312 residents with a median age of 49, and Spearwood had 10,944 residents with a median age of 41.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 14% of occupied dwellings in Rockingham and 5% in Spearwood, while 38% of Rockingham households rented compared with 29% in Spearwood. 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 6163 · South-west metropolitan Perth
Spearwood
Spearwood is an established City of Cockburn suburb of older houses and infill townhouses around the Phoenix Shopping Centre, with no train station.
City of Cockburn. Approximately 19 km south-west of the Perth CBD, south of Fremantle and inland from Coogee.
Read the full Spearwood guide
What buying in Rockingham and Spearwood 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 Spearwood.
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 Spearwood 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 Spearwood: 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 | Spearwood |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 15,312 | 10,944 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 49 | 41 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.0 | 2.3 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $1,169 | $1,448 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $300 | $350 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $1,517 | $1,733 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 38% | 29% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 27% | 34% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 34% | 36% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 66% | 74% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 20% | 21% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 14% | 5% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 27% | 18% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 30% | 33% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 14% | 9% |
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 Spearwood
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.
Spearwood
- Downsizers
- First home buyers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- Original, renovated and newly built homes often share a street, so comparable sales vary widely and a valuation below the contract price is possible.
- Older houses may draw valuer comments about condition, asbestos-containing materials or unapproved additions, and lenders can ask for further reports.
- Strata levies reduce assessed borrowing capacity, and very small units may fall below the minimum floor area that some lenders require.
- A standard home loan is assessed on the property as it stands; subdividing or building extra dwellings usually needs a staged construction facility.
- Properties near the freight railway, Stock Road or designated bush fire prone land may attract valuer comment or higher insurance premiums.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance and inspection conditions need to be written into the offer.
Housing stock in Rockingham and Spearwood 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.
Spearwood
- Older single-storey houses
- Houses from the 1970s and 1980s on comparatively large lots; three-bedroom dwellings numbered 2,132 at the 2021 Census.
- Infill villas and townhouses
- Semi-detached, terrace and townhouse dwellings made up 936 of the occupied homes counted at the 2021 Census, most in small strata groups.
- Newer houses on compact lots
- Estates developed since the 2000s, including land around the former Watsonia factory, with small lots and greater site coverage.
- Flats and small apartment buildings
- The 2021 Census counted 243 flats or apartments, a modest share concentrated in the higher-coded streets near the centre.
Official sale price and rent figures for Rockingham and Spearwood
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.
Spearwood
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Spearwood, 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 Spearwood
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
Spearwood
Transport
- Fremantle Station (Fremantle) (train)
- Cockburn Central Station (Cockburn Central) (train)
- Route 512 (bus)
- Routes 548 and 549 (bus)
- Route 114 (bus)
- Stock Road and Rockingham Road (road)
Schools and campuses
- Spearwood Primary School (primary, government)
- Newton Primary School (primary, government)
- Spearwood Alternative School (primary, government)
- Fremantle College (Beaconsfield) (secondary, government)
Amenities
- Phoenix Shopping Centre
- City of Cockburn Administration Centre
- Spearwood Library
- Cockburn Seniors Centre
- Market Garden Swamp
- Manning Park (Hamilton Hill)
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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