If you've been wondering whether your income is enough to buy in Logan, QLD, you're not alone. It's one of the most common questions we hear, and the honest answer is that your income is only one part of what lenders actually assess. Your existing debts, your expenses, and the size of your deposit all shift the number significantly.

What is encouraging is that Logan remains one of the more accessible markets in Greater Brisbane. House medians in suburbs like Woodridge sit around $740,000 and Logan Central around $720,000, which puts a genuine detached home within reach at incomes that would struggle in inner Brisbane. The catch is that lenders don't assess what you earn - they assess what they can count, and those two numbers are often different.

At Cube Loans, we work with buyers across Logan, QLD every week who have the income to buy but don't know it yet. Understanding how home loan serviceability actually works is the fastest way to find out where you stand.

How much do you actually need to earn to buy a home in Logan, QLD?

For a house priced around $750,000 with a 10% deposit, most lenders want to see a gross income of roughly $90,000 to $110,000 for a single applicant before debts. For a couple buying jointly, the combined income can be lower per person because the loan burden is shared. These are starting points, not guarantees - your debts, credit card limits and living expenses all move the number, sometimes by tens of thousands of dollars.

How do lenders actually calculate what you can borrow?

The assessment rate is the key figure most buyers don't know about. Lenders don't assess whether you can afford repayments at your actual interest rate - they test your repayments at approximately 9%, which is roughly the current rate plus the APRA-mandated 3% serviceability buffer. That buffer exists to make sure you can still service the loan if rates rise, and it applies regardless of what rate you're actually offered.

On top of that, lenders use the Household Expenditure Measure as a floor for your living costs. Even if you declare lower monthly expenses, the lender substitutes the HEM benchmark if it's higher. HEM is not published, but it varies by household size and postcode - declaring below it doesn't help, because lenders substitute it automatically.

Your credit card limits also count against you, regardless of your balance. Most lenders treat the full credit limit as a monthly commitment of roughly 3% to 3.8%, so a $10,000 credit card you never use can reduce your borrowing capacity by $30,000 to $40,000 on the assessed figures.

What does the APRA debt-to-income cap mean for Logan buyers?

Since February 2026, APRA requires that authorised deposit-taking institutions write no more than 20% of new lending at a debt-to-income ratio of 6 times gross income or higher. Non-bank lenders are not subject to this cap, which is one reason two lenders can give the same borrower two different answers.

In practical terms, if your gross income is $100,000, a bank constrained by the cap may be reluctant to lend you more than $600,000 in total debt - including your mortgage and any other loans. If you're already close to or above six times your income, timing within a quarter can matter: a lender near its quota limit may decline a file it would have written a few weeks earlier. This is exactly the kind of policy difference a broker compares across lenders rather than leaving to chance.

Source: APRA, "APRA to limit high debt-to-income home loans", 27 November 2025.

What do Logan suburb medians mean for the income you'll need?

The suburb you're targeting changes the income equation significantly. CoreLogic data shows Logan's most affordable entry points in Logan Central (median house $720,000) and Woodridge (median house $740,000), while suburbs like Springwood ($1,080,000) and Cornubia ($1,200,000) sit well above the $1,000,000 cap that applies to the First Home Guarantee and Help to Buy schemes.

For a buyer with a 10% deposit targeting a $720,000 home in Logan Central, the loan would be $648,000. At the assessed rate of approximately 9%, that's a significant monthly commitment - and the income needed to service it comfortably sits around $85,000 to $95,000 gross for a single applicant, before debts. A couple buying jointly would share that serviceability load. For a home in Slacks Creek(median $821,000) or Marsden(median $754,100), the numbers step up accordingly.

The important thing to understand is that lenders don't look at median prices. They look at the contract price of your specific purchase, your deposit size, and your assessed income net of all commitments.

Source: CoreLogic (via YIP, mid-2026).

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What government schemes can reduce the income you need to buy?

Schemes that reduce your required deposit directly lower the loan amount - which in turn lowers the income you need to service it. For Logan buyers, the two most relevant are the First Home Guarantee and Help to Buy, both capped at $1,000,000 for Greater Brisbane (which includes all Logan suburbs).

The options worth comparing:

• › First Home Guarantee: 5% deposit · no LMI · no income test · price cap $1,000,000 (Logan) · first home buyers only
• › Family Home Guarantee: 2% deposit · no LMI · single parents and guardians · price cap $1,000,000 · not required to be a first home buyer
• › Help to Buy (federal shared equity): 2% deposit · government co-owns up to 30% of an existing home · income cap $103,000 single / $165,000 joint · price cap $1,000,000
• › Queensland First Home Owner Grant:$30,000 cash · new homes only · value under $750,000 · no income test · can stack with the First Home Guarantee

The $30,000 FHOG stacking with the First Home Guarantee is the strongest entry combination available to eligible Logan first home buyers - a 5% deposit, no LMI, and a $30,000 grant that reduces the cash required at settlement. The catch is the $750,000 value cap on the grant, which rules out most established houses in the area but leaves new builds in suburbs like Yarrabilba and Logan Reserve within range.

Source: Housing Australia and Queensland Revenue Office.

When does chasing a higher income not solve the problem?

There are situations where increasing your income won't move your borrowing capacity as much as you'd expect, and understanding those cases is worth the honesty.

If your debt-to-income ratio is already above six times your gross income, a modest income rise won't take you over the line at a bank - the APRA-regulated lender is still capped. A non-bank lender may still lend, but at a rate that costs more over time. In that situation, reducing debt rather than increasing income is usually the better lever.

Similarly, if your credit card limits are high relative to your income, closing one or two cards before application can lift capacity more than a pay rise would. And if you're close to the $1,000,000 price cap on a scheme, buying a unit instead of a house in a higher-priced suburb is often the path to accessing the guarantee, because Logan's unit medians - $520,000 in Woodridge, $441,000 in Logan Central - sit comfortably under it.

If your income is strong but your borrowing capacity still feels low, the answer is almost always in the debts and the deposit structure, not the income itself.

How do you buy in Logan, QLD, step by step?

Step 1: Talk to us

We start by mapping your actual income, debts and expenses against what lenders will count, so you know your real borrowing position before you look at a property.

Step 2: Close the gaps in your borrowing capacity

We identify whether your capacity is limited by debts, deposit size or the lender's policy, and work out which lever to pull first - whether that's reducing a card limit, saving longer, or using a scheme to reduce the loan amount.

Step 3: Match you to the right lender and apply

We compare across our panel with your full picture - income type, debts, property price and deposit - and submit to the lender whose policy suits your situation best.

Step 4: Manage the approval through to settlement

We handle lender queries, coordinate with your conveyancer, and make sure nothing falls over between conditional approval and settlement day.

What can go wrong when buyers assess their own income requirements?

The common traps worth knowing:

• › Using your actual rate, not the assessment rate: buyers often calculate repayments at their current or expected rate and conclude they can afford much more than a lender will allow. The roughly 9% floor is what counts.
• › Forgetting HECS debt: the ATO-compulsory repayment is counted as an ongoing commitment. A $50,000 HECS balance at a salary above the repayment threshold can reduce borrowing capacity by $60,000 to $80,000 depending on income level and lender.
• › Treating card limits as card balances: lenders assess the full credit card limit as a monthly commitment, not your actual balance. Two cards with $5,000 limits each add a meaningful assessed commitment every month, even if you pay them in full.
• › Applying to the wrong lender first: a decline sits on your credit file for five years. Applying to a lender whose DTI policy doesn't match your situation, when another lender would have said yes, is the most avoidable outcome of not comparing before applying.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do I need to earn to buy a $700,000 house in Logan?

For a $700,000 purchase with a 10% deposit, most lenders want to see a gross income of around $85,000 to $100,000 for a single applicant, before existing debts. A couple buying jointly can combine their incomes, which significantly changes the picture.

Does HECS debt reduce how much I can borrow in Logan?

Yes, a compulsory HECS repayment is counted as an ongoing commitment by most lenders. The repayment amount - not the balance - is what reduces your assessed borrowing capacity, and it can shift the number by $60,000 or more depending on your income level.

Can I buy in Logan on a single income?

Yes, single-income buyers buy in Logan regularly, particularly in suburbs like Woodridge ($740,000 median) and Logan Central ($720,000). Government schemes like the First Home Guarantee and the Family Home Guarantee are structured to help single applicants with smaller deposits.

Should I use the First Home Guarantee or Help to Buy to reduce my deposit?

The First Home Guarantee suits buyers who have a stable income but a smaller deposit - there's no income test and you keep full ownership. Help to Buy suits buyers whose income is below the $103,000 single or $165,000 joint cap and who want a lower starting loan, at the cost of a government equity share in the property.

Does the APRA debt-to-income cap affect my borrowing in Logan?

It can. If your total debt would exceed six times your gross income, regulated banks are restricted in how much they can lend. Non-bank lenders are not subject to the same cap, which is one reason comparing across a panel matters more than applying to the first lender you think of.

Is a mortgage broker or a bank better for working out how much I can borrow?

A mortgage broker, every time. A bank tells you what it will lend under its own policy. A broker compares across 60+ lenders and identifies which one's assessment rules suit your income structure, debts and deposit best - which often means a materially different number.

Your Next Steps

For Logan buyers, the income question is almost never the whole story. The assessment rate, your existing debts, your deposit size and which lender's policy suits your situation all move the number just as much as your salary does. Getting clear on all four is what turns an estimate into an approval.

Ready to find out which lenders will work best for your situation? Contact the Cube Loans team or call 1800 774 756. We'll canvas our 60+ lender panel and find the most suitable options for your circumstances.

About the author Nevada Matthews Mortgage Broker and Co-Owner, Cube Loans Nevada Matthews is a mortgage broker and co-owner of Cube Loans, helping first home buyers, investors and business owners across Loganholme and the wider Logan region. He started broking in 2019 and was named New Broker of the Year (QLD) in 2023, and operates under Cube Central Pty Ltd (Credit Representative 472851), authorised under Australian Credit Licence 517192. Meet Nevada → LinkedIn

Cube Loans, Loganholme and Logan, QLD, Cube Central Pty Ltd, Credit Representative 472851, authorised under Australian Credit Licence 517192, General information only - this article does not constitute financial advice. Please consider your own circumstances and seek professional advice before making any financial decisions.