South Perth vs SubiacoTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
South Perth (WA 6151) is approximately 3 km south of the Perth CBD, across the Swan River. Subiaco (WA 6008) is approximately 3 km west of the Perth CBD. At the 2021 Census, South Perth had 12,596 residents with a median age of 42, and Subiaco had 9,940 residents with a median age of 40.
The most common occupied dwelling was townhouses and terraces in South Perth and flats and apartments in Subiaco. Flats and apartments made up 29% of occupied dwellings in South Perth and 42% in Subiaco, while 43% of South Perth households rented compared with 45% in Subiaco. 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 6151 · Inner Perth
South Perth
South Perth faces the Perth CBD across the Swan River, with a ferry, Perth Zoo, riverfront apartment towers and a large share of renters.
City of South Perth. Approximately 3 km south of the Perth CBD, across the Swan River.
Read the full South Perth guideWA 6008 · Inner western suburbs of Perth
Subiaco
Subiaco is an inner western Perth suburb of heritage houses, townhouses and apartments, with an underground rail station and the Subi East renewal area.
City of Subiaco. Approximately 3 km west of the Perth CBD.
Read the full Subiaco guide
What buying in South Perth and Subiaco 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 South Perth and Subiaco.
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 South Perth to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Subiaco 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.
South Perth and Subiaco: 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 | South Perth | Subiaco |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 12,596 | 9,940 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 42 | 40 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,026 | $2,219 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $375 | $438 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,200 | $2,498 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 43% | 45% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 22% | 24% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 33% | 29% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 34% | 39% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 37% | 19% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 29% | 42% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 42% | 52% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 20% | 15% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 16% | 12% |
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 South Perth and Subiaco
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.
South Perth
- Investors
- Downsizers
- Upgraders
- First home buyers
- Most dwellings are strata titled, so levies, reserve funds, insurance and planned remedial works affect both valuation and serviceability assessments.
- Some lenders limit exposure to high-density buildings or postcodes and apply minimum internal floor areas, which can reduce the loan available for small apartments.
- Off-the-plan purchases are valued near completion, so a gap between the contract price and the final valuation is a risk that buyers may wish to plan for.
- Parts of the peninsula fall within state floodplain mapping for the Swan River, which may affect insurance premiums and the questions a lender or valuer asks.
- Premiums paid for river and city views are difficult for valuers to support without comparable sales, and development on neighbouring sites can alter an outlook.
- Western Australian contracts have no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance, inspection and strata review conditions need to be written into the offer.
Subiaco
- Downsizers
- Upgraders
- Investors
- First home buyers
- Heritage List entries and heritage areas can restrict alterations, and valuers factor those limits and likely repair costs into their assessments.
- Western Australian contracts carry no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance and inspection conditions need to be written into the offer itself.
- Narrow-lot period houses have few close comparables, so a valuation below the contract price is possible for buyers with small deposits.
- Some lenders restrict small apartments, mixed-use buildings or their total exposure to one building, which can lower the maximum loan available.
- Strata levies, the ten-year maintenance plan and the reserve fund balance affect both valuation and serviceability for apartments and townhouses.
- Off-the-plan apartments at Subi East would be valued and assessed again near settlement, so an early approval is not a guarantee of finance.
Housing stock in South Perth and Subiaco compared
South Perth
- Townhouses, villas and semi-detached homes
- The largest category at the 2021 Census, with 2,055 occupied dwellings, ranging from older villas to modern two-storey townhouses.
- Apartments and older flats
- Walk-up flats on the ridge and towers on the peninsula; 529 occupied apartments were in blocks of nine or more storeys at the 2021 Census.
- Character and contemporary houses
- Federation and inter-war homes, some on the City's Heritage List, alongside rebuilt family houses; detached houses near the river are scarce.
Subiaco
- Period houses and cottages
- Mostly single-storey brick and weatherboard houses from the 1890s to the 1920s on narrow lots, many within designated heritage areas.
- Townhouses and terraces
- Semi-detached, terrace and townhouse dwellings, including Subi Centro stock, made up 863 of the occupied homes counted at the 2021 Census.
- Apartments
- The largest dwelling category at the 2021 Census, in low and mid-rise strata buildings, with further sites planned at Subi East.
Official sale price and rent figures for South Perth and Subiaco
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.
South Perth
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for South Perth, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Subiaco
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Subiaco, 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 South Perth and Subiaco
South Perth
Transport
- Mends Street Jetty (ferry)
- Transperth routes 30 and 31 (bus)
- Mandurah Line (train)
- Kwinana Freeway (road)
- Canning Highway (road)
Schools and campuses
- South Perth Primary School (primary, government)
- St Columba's Catholic Primary School (primary, catholic)
- Wesley College (combined, independent)
Amenities
- Perth Zoo
- Sir James Mitchell Park and the South Perth Foreshore
- South Perth Hospital
- The Old Mill
- Mends Street precinct and Mindeerup
Subiaco
Transport
- Subiaco Station (train)
- West Leederville Station (train)
- Roberts Road, Hay Street and Thomas Street buses (bus)
Schools and campuses
- Subiaco Primary School (primary, government)
- Bob Hawke College (secondary, government)
- Perth Modern School (secondary, government)
Amenities
- King Edward Memorial Hospital
- St John of God Subiaco Hospital
- Lords Recreation Centre
- Subiaco Oval
- Subiaco Museum
- Rokeby Road and Hay Street town 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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