South Perth vs Victoria ParkTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
South Perth (WA 6151) is approximately 3 km south of the Perth CBD, across the Swan River. Victoria Park (WA 6100) is approximately 4 km south-east of the Perth CBD, across the Causeway. At the 2021 Census, South Perth had 12,596 residents with a median age of 42, and Victoria Park had 9,334 residents with a median age of 35.
The most common occupied dwelling was townhouses and terraces in South Perth and separate houses in Victoria Park. Flats and apartments made up 29% of occupied dwellings in South Perth and 25% in Victoria Park, while 43% of South Perth 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 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 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 South Perth 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 South Perth 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 South Perth 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.
South Perth 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 | South Perth | Victoria Park |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 12,596 | 9,334 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 42 | 35 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,026 | $1,828 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $375 | $345 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,200 | $1,946 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 43% | 53% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 22% | 25% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 33% | 20% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 34% | 38% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 37% | 37% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 29% | 25% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 42% | 41% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 20% | 11% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 16% | 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 South Perth 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.
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.
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 South Perth and Victoria Park 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.
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 South Perth 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.
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.
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 South Perth and Victoria Park
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
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: South Perth or Victoria Park
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in South Perth and Victoria Park, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.