San Remo is a quiet coastal suburb nestled within the City of Mandurah, roughly 70 kilometres south of Perth. It's a popular spot for families and retirees alike, offering a relaxed lifestyle close to the water. For homeowners in the area, understanding what you should be paying for home insurance — and why — can make a real difference to your household budget.
This article takes a close look at a recent home and contents insurance quote for a three-bedroom, two-bathroom free standing home in San Remo (postcode 6210), and puts it in context against local, state, and national benchmarks.
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Is This Quote Fair?
The quote in question comes in at $1,433 per year (or about $147 per month), covering a building sum insured of $440,000 and contents valued at $75,000. The building excess sits at $3,000, with a separate $1,000 excess applying to contents claims.
Our price rating for this quote is FAIR — Around Average.
At first glance, $1,433 might feel like a reasonable figure, and in many respects it is. It sits comfortably below the suburb average of $2,775 per year and the suburb median of $2,781 — meaning this homeowner is paying significantly less than many of their neighbours for comparable cover. That said, it's worth noting that the suburb's 25th percentile sits at $1,158 per year, which means roughly one in four quotes in San Remo come in even cheaper. There's potentially some room to sharpen this premium further with the right insurer.
The "Fair" rating reflects that while the quote isn't the cheapest available in the area, it represents solid value relative to the broader market — particularly when weighed against state and national figures.
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How San Remo Compares
To put this quote in proper perspective, it helps to zoom out and look at the bigger picture. You can explore the full data set on our San Remo suburb stats page.
| Benchmark | Annual Premium |
|---|---|
| This Quote | $1,433 |
| Suburb Average (San Remo) | $2,775 |
| Suburb Median (San Remo) | $2,781 |
| LGA Average (Mandurah) | $1,732 |
| WA State Average | $2,811 |
| WA State Median | $2,127 |
| National Average | $5,347 |
| National Median | $2,764 |
The numbers tell an interesting story. This quote is well below the WA state average of $2,811 and sits dramatically lower than the national average of $5,347 — which is heavily influenced by high-risk areas in Queensland and Northern Australia where cyclone and flood exposure push premiums sky-high.
Even compared to the broader Mandurah LGA average of $1,732, this quote holds its own. San Remo benefits from a relatively benign risk profile: it's not in a designated cyclone risk zone, and while coastal proximity can sometimes attract loading, the suburb's overall claims history and geographic positioning keep premiums comparatively modest.
It's worth noting that the suburb sample size here is 11 quotes, so while directionally useful, the local averages should be interpreted with some caution — a handful of outlier quotes can shift averages noticeably in a small dataset.
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Property Features That Affect Your Premium
Several characteristics of this particular property work in the homeowner's favour when it comes to pricing.
Double brick construction is highly regarded by insurers. It's durable, fire-resistant, and less susceptible to wind damage than timber or clad alternatives. In Western Australia, where many homes were built using this method, double brick is effectively the gold standard — and insurers tend to price it accordingly.
A tiled roof is another positive signal. Tiles are considered a low-risk roofing material compared to, say, older corrugated iron or asbestos cement sheeting. They're durable and widely understood by underwriters.
Slab foundation is the norm for homes of this era and construction type, and it presents no particular concern for insurers. Combined with the 1990 build year, the property sits in a sweet spot — old enough to have proven structural integrity, but not so old as to raise red flags around aging materials or outdated wiring.
Timber and laminate flooring can be a mild consideration in contents pricing, as these surfaces can be more vulnerable to water damage than tiles. However, at a contents value of $75,000, this is well within a standard range and unlikely to attract significant loading.
The absence of a pool, solar panels, and ducted climate control also keeps things straightforward. Each of these features can introduce additional complexity — and cost — into a policy, so their absence here contributes to a cleaner, more competitive premium.
At 105 square metres, the building is a modest but practical size for a three-bedroom home, and the $440,000 sum insured aligns reasonably well with current construction costs in regional WA.
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Tips for Homeowners in San Remo
Whether you're reviewing an existing policy or shopping around for the first time, here are a few practical steps worth considering:
- Check your sum insured regularly. Construction costs across Australia have risen sharply in recent years. A sum insured that was adequate three years ago may now fall short of what it would actually cost to rebuild your home. Use a building cost calculator or speak to a quantity surveyor if you're unsure.
- Consider your excess settings carefully. This quote carries a $3,000 building excess, which is on the higher side. A higher excess typically reduces your premium, but it also means a larger out-of-pocket expense if you need to claim. Make sure the excess level reflects what you could comfortably afford in an emergency.
- Don't over-insure your contents. $75,000 is a reasonable contents figure for a three-bedroom home, but it's worth doing a proper home inventory every couple of years. Over-insuring means you're paying for cover you don't need; under-insuring means you could be left short after a major loss.
- Compare quotes at renewal time. Insurers rarely reward loyalty with their best pricing. The market is competitive, and spending 15–20 minutes comparing options before your policy renews can easily save you hundreds of dollars a year — as the spread between the 25th and 75th percentile quotes in San Remo clearly demonstrates.
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Ready to Compare?
Whether this quote resonates with your own situation or you're simply curious about what you could be paying, CoverClub makes it easy to compare home and contents insurance options tailored to your property. Get a quote today and see how your current premium stacks up against the market — you might be surprised at what's available.