St Ives vs WahroongaTwo Sydney suburbs compared for a home loan
St Ives (NSW 2075) is approximately 18 km north of the Sydney CBD, east of the North Shore line. Wahroonga (NSW 2076) is approximately 20 km north of the Sydney CBD, on the T1 North Shore line. At the 2021 Census, St Ives had 18,384 residents with a median age of 43, and Wahroonga had 17,853 residents with a median age of 44.
In both suburbs the most common occupied dwelling was separate houses. Flats and apartments made up 26% of occupied dwellings in St Ives and 20% in Wahroonga, while 17% of St Ives households rented compared with 18% in Wahroonga. 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.
NSW 2075 · Upper North Shore
St Ives
St Ives is a Ku-ring-gai suburb without a railway station, where 42.0 per cent of households own outright and 1,259 dwellings have five or more bedrooms.
Ku-ring-gai. Approximately 18 km north of the Sydney CBD, east of the North Shore line.
Read the full St Ives guideNSW 2076 · Upper North Shore
Wahroonga
Wahroonga is a large Ku-ring-gai suburb of 17,853 residents where 1,192 dwellings have five or more bedrooms and only 17.9 per cent of households rent.
Ku-ring-gai. Approximately 20 km north of the Sydney CBD, on the T1 North Shore line.
Read the full Wahroonga guide
What buying in St Ives and Wahroonga 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 St Ives and Wahroonga.
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 St Ives to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Wahroonga 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.
St Ives and Wahroonga: 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 | St Ives | Wahroonga |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 18,384 | 17,853 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 43 | 44 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.9 | 2.9 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,888 | $2,998 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $688 | $600 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $3,467 | $3,467 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 17% | 18% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 40% | 40% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 42% | 39% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 66% | 75% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 8% | 6% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 26% | 20% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 21% | 16% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 54% | 55% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 6% | 6% |
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 St Ives and Wahroonga
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.
St Ives
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Investors
- There is no railway station, so test the actual bus journey to Gordon or Turramurra.
- The national park boundary makes bushfire mapping a realistic prospect.
- Complying development is unavailable on BAL-40 and BAL-FZ land, requiring a full DA.
- Bushfire mapping can raise insurance premiums and make cover harder to place.
- Median monthly repayments of $3,467 mean serviceability binds well before deposit.
Wahroonga
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Investors
- Median monthly repayments of $3,467 mean serviceability binds well before deposit.
- Older housing makes heritage listing more likely than in a post-war suburb.
- Heritage listing can raise insurance and the cost of compliant repairs.
- Complying development is unavailable on BAL-40 and BAL-FZ land, requiring a full DA.
- Only 17.9 per cent of households rented, so the tenant pool is small.
Housing stock in St Ives and Wahroonga compared
St Ives
- Large detached houses
- Separate houses numbered 4,164 at the 2021 Census, 66.1 per cent of occupied homes.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 2,121 dwellings had four bedrooms and 1,259 had five or more.
- Apartments near the shopping village
- The 1,644 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 26.1 per cent of occupied homes.
Wahroonga
- Large detached houses on treed blocks
- Separate houses numbered 4,311 at the 2021 Census, 74.5 per cent of occupied homes.
- Four and five bedroom homes
- At the 2021 Census, 1,964 dwellings had four bedrooms and 1,192 had five or more.
- Apartments near the station
- The 1,135 flats counted at the 2021 Census, 19.6 per cent of occupied homes.
Official sale price and rent figures for St Ives and Wahroonga
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.
St Ives
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for St Ives, so none is shown. A broker can supply recent comparable sales for a specific property as part of a free assessment.
Wahroonga
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Wahroonga, 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 St Ives and Wahroonga
St Ives
Transport
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Mona Vale Road (road)
- Turramurra Station (train)
Amenities
- St Ives Shopping Village
- Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park
- St Ives Showground
Wahroonga
Transport
- Wahroonga Station (train)
- Sydney buses (bus)
- Pacific Highway (road)
- M1 Pacific Motorway (road)
Amenities
- Wahroonga station shops
- Westfield Hornsby
- Ku-ring-gai bushland reserves
School listings show name, level and sector only. Enrolment areas change, so confirm eligibility for a specific address with the school or the New South Wales education department.
Compare St Ives or Wahroonga with another suburb
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Request a free assessment: St Ives or Wahroonga
An accredited mortgage broker can check your borrowing power against prices in St Ives and Wahroonga, and explain how lenders treat the homes you are considering. The assessment is free of charge and carries no obligation.