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Compare bank interest rates in December 2023

Check out the current bank interest rates for home loans, savings accounts and term deposits.

The Reserve Bank of Australia started lifting the official cash rate target in May 2022. Banks have responded by lifting rates on home loans and other products. It's good news for savers, bad news for borrowers.

Bank home loan rates

Home loan interest rates from the Big Four Banks

Australia's Big Four banks are the Commonwealth Bank, NAB, Westpac and ANZ. Together these big institutions dominate the market for loans, savings accounts and other consumer finance products.

The table below contains the lowest variable home loan rate from each of the Big Four banks (owner-occupier loans with 20% deposits).

Compare Big Four bank home loan rates

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1 - 4 of 19
Name Interest Rate p.a. Comparison Rate p.a. Fees Monthly Payment
Principal & Interest30% min. depositOwner-occupierSpecial Offer
Interest Rate
6.34%
Comparison Rate
6.66%
Fees
Application: $0
Ongoing: $0 per month
Monthly Payment
$934
Enquire now
Principal & Interest 3Y Fixed5% min. depositOwner-occupier
Interest Rate
6.59%
Comparison Rate
8%
Fees
Application: $0
Ongoing: $395 p.a.
Monthly Payment
$958
Enquire now
Principal & Interest20% min. depositOwner-occupier
Interest Rate
6.54%
Comparison Rate
6.54%
Fees
Application: $0
Ongoing: $0 p.a.
Monthly Payment
$953
Enquire now
$2,000 cashback
Refinancers borrowing $250K+ can get a cashback of $2,000 with an LVR of 80% or less (terms & conditions apply).
Principal & Interest5% min. depositOwner-occupier
Interest Rate
6.74%
Comparison Rate
7.06%
Fees
Application: $0
Ongoing: $0 p.a.
Monthly Payment
$973
Enquire now
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Showing 4 of 19 results

Which banks offer the lowest home loan rates?

The lowest home loan rates on the market typically come from smaller online lenders or customer-owned institutions like credit unions.

But the Big Four banks are not that far behind, and sometimes have rates that are almost as competitive.

Here's a graph charting the lowest rates for different loan types each month.

And here's how big the difference is between the average interest rates on the market and the lowest rates available on Finder.

Average Australian interest rates versus the market's lowest rates

Australian interest rates November 2023Data
Average variable mortgage interest rate6.72%
Lowest variable rate available on Finder*5.59%
Average fixed mortgage interest rate6.55%
Lowest fixed rate available on Finder*5.48%

*Lowest rates listed above are based on products from lenders with whom Finder has a commercial partnership.

Bank savings account rates

As interest rates have risen on home loans, lenders have also started lifting interest rates for savings accounts.

This means the average Australian with some money in their savings account can finally earn a bit more interest.

Which banks offer the highest savings account interest rates?

For high interest savings accounts, the Big Four tend to be less competitive than the highest rates on the market. And the highest rates from other banks tend to be limited to borrowers under 35 years of age and require you to deposit a certain amount each month.

Compare a range of competitive high interest savings account rates

1 - 5 of 10
Name Maximum Variable Rate p.a. Standard Variable Rate p.a. Intro Period Government Guarantee Monthly Max Rate Conditions
Westpac Life (18-29 year olds only)
Maximum Variable Rate p.a.
5.20%
Standard Variable Rate p.a.
2.00%
Intro Period
Ongoing
Government Guarantee
Monthly Max Rate Conditions
  • Grow your balance
  • 5 debit card purchases
Go to siteView details
Bank of Queensland Future Saver Account - 14 to 35 years
Finder Award
Maximum Variable Rate p.a.
5.40%
Standard Variable Rate p.a.
0.05%
Intro Period
Ongoing
Government Guarantee
Monthly Max Rate Conditions
  • Deposit $1,000
  • 5 eligible transactions
Go to siteView details
ING Savings Maximiser
Finder Award
Maximum Variable Rate p.a.
5.50%
Standard Variable Rate p.a.
0.55%
Intro Period
Ongoing
Government Guarantee
Monthly Max Rate Conditions
  • Deposit $1,000
  • 5 transactions
  • Grow your balance
Go to siteView details
Macquarie Savings Account
Maximum Variable Rate p.a.
5.50%
Standard Variable Rate p.a.
4.75%
Intro Period
4 months
Government Guarantee
Monthly Max Rate Conditions
  • N/A
Go to siteView details
ME HomeME Savings Account
Maximum Variable Rate p.a.
5.55%
Standard Variable Rate p.a.
0.55%
Intro Period
Ongoing
Government Guarantee
Monthly Max Rate Conditions
  • Deposit $2000
  • Grow balance
Go to siteView details
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Showing 5 of 10 results

Bank term deposit rates

Term deposits are a safe way to lock up some of your cash for a certain period of time and earn a relatively high rate.

As with savings accounts, these rates have risen as the cash rate has increased. This means term deposits are becoming more popular as the return on your money is higher.

The term deposit rate you can get depends on:

  • Which bank you choose. Term deposit rates vary widely between banks.
  • How long you lock your money up for. Longer terms have higher rates.
  • How much you put in the term deposit. You get a bigger return on a larger amount of money.

Compare term deposit rates

1 - 4 of 99
Name 3 Mths p.a. 4 Mths p.a. 5 Mths p.a. 6 Mths p.a. 7 Mths p.a. 12 Mths p.a. 24 Mths p.a.
Judo Bank Term Deposit
Finder Award$1,000 min. deposit
3 Mths p.a.
4.90%
4 Mths p.a.
-
5 Mths p.a.
-
6 Mths p.a.
5.05%
7 Mths p.a.
-
12 Mths p.a.
5.35%
24 Mths p.a.
5.35%
Go to siteMore Info
Bankwest Online Term Deposit
$1,000 min. deposit$5,000,000 max. deposit
3 Mths p.a.
3.75%
4 Mths p.a.
3.00%
5 Mths p.a.
3.00%
6 Mths p.a.
4.25%
7 Mths p.a.
4.00%
12 Mths p.a.
4.90%
24 Mths p.a.
4.85%
Go to siteMore Info
BCU Term Deposit
$1,000 min. deposit$999,999 max. deposit
3 Mths p.a.
4.35%
4 Mths p.a.
3.70%
5 Mths p.a.
3.40%
6 Mths p.a.
4.60%
7 Mths p.a.
4.55%
12 Mths p.a.
4.75%
24 Mths p.a.
4.40%
Go to siteMore Info
Community First Bank Term Deposit
$1,000,000 max. deposit
3 Mths p.a.
4.20%
4 Mths p.a.
4.20%
5 Mths p.a.
4.20%
6 Mths p.a.
4.25%
7 Mths p.a.
4.25%
12 Mths p.a.
5.25%
24 Mths p.a.
5.00%
Go to siteMore Info
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Showing 4 of 99 results

How do interest rates impact me financially?

The interest rate on a financial product determines how much interest is charged or generated on an amount of money.

📌 For borrowers a higher interest rate means you're charged more for the money you borrow. A lower rate makes money cheaper to borrow.

📌 For savers, a higher interest rate means you can earn more interest on the money you've saved. A lower rate means you earn less interest.

Here are some simple examples:

Home loan repayments

  • You borrow $400,000 over 30 years to buy a house. Your loan's interest rate is 5.00%.
  • Your monthly repayments = $2,148.

This includes the interest charged, plus some of the loan principal.

Now if your rate increased to 5.50%, your monthly repayments would rise to $2,272.

Savings account interest

  • You put $10,000 into a savings account with an interest rate of 4.5%.
  • You leave the money in the account for 3 years and add an extra $100 a month to your savings.
  • After 3 years you'll have $15,289 in the account, earning $1,689 in interest

Use one of Finder's calculators to work out how interest rates affect your loans and savings.

How the RBA cash rate affects bank interest rates

The Reserve Bank of Australia is the nation's central bank. One of the RBA's main roles is to conduct monetary policy, which includes influencing interest rates.

The RBA sets the official cash rate target, or the cash rate, which is an interest rate target that affects the cost of banks borrowing money from each other at short notice. This rate in turn affects interest rates on variable rate home loans and savings accounts.

🔼 When the cash rate rises

An increase to the cash rate means higher rates for Australian consumers. This means they can earn more through savings accounts and term deposits. But it means their home loan repayments get more expensive.

🔽 When the cash rate falls

A cut to the cash rate makes borrowing cheaper. It can mean lower repayments for borrowers with home loans. But it means your savings account interest rate will be lower too.

More helpful interest rate guides

Frequently asked questions

  1. Finder's database, accessed 2 August 2023
  2. ABS lending indicators, accessed 2 August 2023

More guides on Finder

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