Subiaco vs WembleyTwo Perth suburbs compared for a home loan
Subiaco (WA 6008) is approximately 3 km west of the Perth CBD. Wembley (WA 6014) is approximately 4.5 km north-west of the Perth CBD, between Lake Monger and Herdsman Lake. At the 2021 Census, Subiaco had 9,940 residents with a median age of 40, and Wembley had 12,061 residents with a median age of 37.
The most common occupied dwelling was flats and apartments in Subiaco and separate houses in Wembley. Flats and apartments made up 42% of occupied dwellings in Subiaco and 33% in Wembley, while 45% of Subiaco households rented compared with 37% in Wembley. 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 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 guideWA 6014 · Inner western suburbs of Perth
Wembley
Wembley is an inner western Perth suburb beside Lake Monger that mixes family houses with many older flats and relies on buses rather than a train station.
Town of Cambridge. Approximately 4.5 km north-west of the Perth CBD, between Lake Monger and Herdsman Lake.
Read the full Wembley guide
What buying in Subiaco and Wembley 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 Subiaco and Wembley.
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 Subiaco to see the repayment, transfer duty and upfront cash.
Enter a price for Wembley 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.
Subiaco and Wembley: 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 | Subiaco | Wembley |
|---|---|---|
| People and households | ||
| Residents | 9,940 | 12,061 |
| Median ageAustralia 38 | 40 | 37 |
| Average household sizeAustralia 2.5 | 2.1 | 2.4 |
| Median household income, weeklyAustralia $1,746 | $2,219 | $2,005 |
| Housing costs at the 2021 Census | ||
| Median rent, weeklyAustralia $375 | $438 | $290 |
| Median mortgage repayment, monthlyAustralia $1,863 | $2,498 | $2,458 |
| Who owns and who rents | ||
| Households rentingAustralia 31% | 45% | 37% |
| Owned with a mortgageAustralia 35% | 24% | 31% |
| Owned outrightAustralia 31% | 29% | 29% |
| Types of home | ||
| Separate housesAustralia 72% | 39% | 49% |
| Townhouses, terraces and semi-detachedAustralia 13% | 19% | 18% |
| Flats and apartmentsAustralia 14% | 42% | 33% |
| Homes with two bedrooms or fewer | 52% | 43% |
| Homes with four bedrooms or more | 15% | 26% |
| Dwellings unoccupied on Census night | 12% | 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 Subiaco and Wembley
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.
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.
Wembley
- First home buyers
- Investors
- Upgraders
- Downsizers
- Small one-bedroom and studio flats may fall below the minimum internal floor area that certain lenders and mortgage insurers require.
- Strata levies, the reserve fund and planned remedial works in older blocks affect both valuation and borrowing capacity assessments.
- Western Australian contracts carry no mandatory cooling-off period, so finance and inspection conditions need to be written into the offer.
- A new local planning scheme and a revised Cambridge Street precinct plan were awaiting state decisions as at September 2026.
- Renovation or rebuild projects usually need a construction loan drawn in stages against a fixed-price contract and approved plans.
Housing stock in Subiaco and Wembley compared
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.
Wembley
- Established family houses
- Inter-war and post-war houses, many renovated or rebuilt, which made up 2,331 of the 4,790 occupied dwellings counted at the 2021 Census.
- Older flats and apartments
- A third of occupied dwellings at the 2021 Census, at 1,583 homes, mostly in older style low-rise blocks.
- Townhouses and grouped dwellings
- Semi-detached, terrace and townhouse dwellings made up 865 occupied homes at the 2021 Census.
Official sale price and rent figures for Subiaco and Wembley
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.
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.
Wembley
No government agency publishes a free median sale price or rent series for Wembley, 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 Subiaco and Wembley
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
Wembley
Transport
- Bus routes 81 to 85 (bus)
- Bus routes 84, 85 and 95 (bus)
- Daglish and Subiaco stations (train)
- Glendalough Station (train)
- Mitchell Freeway (road)
Schools and campuses
- Wembley Primary School (primary, government)
- Lake Monger Primary School (primary, government)
- Bold Park Community School (combined, independent)
Amenities
- Galup (Lake Monger) Reserve
- Herdsman Lake Regional Park
- Cambridge Street shops
- Henderson Park
- St John of God Subiaco Hospital (Subiaco)
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: Subiaco or Wembley
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