Mortgage repayment comparison: Principal & Interest vs Interest Only
The easiest way to make sure your home loan suits your financial goals? Choose the right r...
10 Oct, 2025
Whether you’re considering entering the market or starting a refinancing journey, our free Mortgage Repayments Calculator puts you in the driver’s seat. Compare how different interest rates, loan terms, and repayment frequencies can impact the cost of your loan.
| Estimated repayment | $2,794.18 | $2,507.26 |
| Comparison rate | 6.33% | 5.33%* |
| Total interest paid | $555,906 | $452,614 |
Promoted
YourMortgage.com.au's Mortgage Repayment Calculator considers several factors to determine your regular home loan repayments. It can also estimate how much interest you may pay over the life of a loan and the impact of extra or lump sum repayments.
Simply enter the amount you wish to borrow, the interest rate on the table from your favourite lender, and your ideal loan term, as well as whether you wish to make principal and interest or interest only repayments, and you're on your way to knowing the value of your regular repayments. You can even adjust the calculator to advise you on how the frequency of your repayments could impact them.
Though, the calculator has its limitations. Here are a few things it can't factor in:
YourMortgage.com.au's Mortgage Repayment Calculator provides not only a clear estimate of regular repayments, but also an estimate of how much interest a borrower might pay over their loan's life, as well as an amortisation schedule.
But, if you'd prefer to do the sums yourself, here's the formula you can use to calculate your own home loan repayments:
P × [R × (1+R)N] ÷ [(1+R)N − 1]
Where:
To create your own amortisation schedule, which breaks down each repayment into principal and interest, showing how that mix changes over the life of the loan, you can repeat this calculation for each repayment period:
Our Mortgage Repayment Calculator can help you understand what your monthly, fortnightly, or weekly repayments could look like under various circumstances. It can also provide insight into the total cost of the loan over its full term.
Here's what such valuable information could mean for you:
House hunting can spur the temptation to borrow more than originally planned. When assessing your options, make sure to calculate the long-term impact mortgage repayments can have on your finances.
Refinancing can have a significant impact on your budget. Make sure to calculate the overall impact swapping your mortgage product will have on your repayments now and into the future.
The investment home loan you use to buy a property can make or break your returns. When considering investment options, it's worth calculating potential repayments and assessing how they might change over time.
Buying a home or looking to refinance? The table below features home loans with some of the lowest interest rates on the market.
Lender Home Loan Interest Rate Comparison Rate* Monthly Repayment Repayment type Rate Type Offset Redraw Ongoing Fees Upfront Fees Max LVR Lump Sum Repayment Extra Repayments Split Loan Option Tags Features Link Compare Promoted Product Disclosure
Promoted
Disclosure
Disclosure
Promoted
Disclosure
The easiest way to calculate your potential mortgage repayments is to use a Mortgage Repayment Calculator like the one above. If you'd prefer to do the math yourself, you can use the following formula:
P × [R(1+R)N] ÷ [(1+R)N − 1]
Where:
Most borrowers can expect their mortgage repayments to flex and shift over time. Our calculations are only accurate if every detail of your home loan remains unchanged for the duration of the loan term, which rarely happens. Chances are that your interest rate will fluctuate over the life of your loan, impacting your repayments. Additionally, extra or missed repayments, as well as the use of certain features such as offset accounts, can affect how much interest you pay overall.
Home loan repayments are made up of two parts: the principal (the borrowed funds being repaid) and interest charged on the principal. When you make principal and interest repayments, you’re both returning a portion of the borrowed funds and paying the interest accrued on those funds.
If you’re making interest-only repayments, you won’t be reducing the debt you hold. Instead, you’ll simply be paying the interest charged by your lender. Most lenders limit how long a person can be on interest-only repayments; otherwise, they might never see the lent money returned.
Over the life of your loan, your interest rate will likely fluctuate.
Factors driving it might include the cash rate, determined by the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA), and your lender's discretion.
If your interest rate increases, so will your home loan repayments. Conversely, if your rate is cut, you’ll pay less. However, the portion of your repayments that goes towards your principal balance will remain unchanged.
Borrowers worried about changing interest rates might be tempted to fix their interest rate for a certain period, typically between one and five years.
If you've used the mortgage repayment calculator above, you might be wondering what an amortisation schedule is.
An amortisation schedule is a detailed table that shows the breakdown of mortgage repayments over the loan term.
It outlines how much of each repayment goes towards paying down the principal (the amount borrowed) and how much goes towards paying interest. The schedule helps borrowers understand how their loan balance decreases over time and how much interest they will pay throughout the life of the loan. This can be a useful tool for planning and managing your finances effectively.