As of June 2024, the average weekly rent for a house in Sydney was 750 Australian dollars, which was the highest average rent across all major cities in Australia that year. That same year, the average weekly rent for a house in Melbourne was around 580 Australian dollars.

Rent Inflation in Australia decreased to 6.40 percent in the fourth quarter of 2024 from 6.70 percent in the third quarter of 2024. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for Australia Rent Inflation.

In the third quarter of 2024, the average retail rent of shopping malls in New South Wales, Australia was 1,866 Australian dollars per square meter. In Western Australia, the average rent of regional shopping centers was 1,339 Australian dollars per square meter.

In the second quarter of 2021, South Sydney had the most expensive net face rent of industrial property in Australia with a net face rent of 213 Australian dollars per square meter. The second highest net face rent was in Central West Sydney with a net face rent of 163 Australian dollars per square meter.

The Car Rental industry in Australia has exhibited very high volatility over recent years, with revenue recovering strongly from steep slumps during the pandemic. Air passenger movements and international travel to Australia have risen sharply, heightening demand as tourists rent cars for their stay. Fleet shortages resulting from vehicle supply chain issues have raised the average daily rates for rental cars. These price hikes can support revenue but also steer consumers away to alternatives. Ride-sharing services and price-comparison websites have become increasingly popular, which has created intense price competition. This has forced car rental companies to keep their prices in check to maintain market share, eroding profitability. Revenue is expected to have climbed at an annualised 1.0% over the five years through 2024-25 to $1.49 billion, with no expected change anticipated in 2024-25. Major players like Hertz and Avis dominate the Car Rental industry, which is highly concentrated. Smaller players struggle to capture market share since there are significant entry costs and it’s difficult to become entrenched in airports, which is essential for success. Consumer preferences have shifted from smaller passenger vehicles to medium and large ones because of their space and versatility. Car rental businesses are mainly located in high-population states and popular tourist destinations, as this provides easy access to customers. Looking ahead, economic recovery and expanded aviation routes between Australian cities and South-East Asia will drive increased international travel, benefiting industry demand. Price competition from aggregator websites and the rising popularity of substitutes will continue to pressure the industry, tempering rental prices. Car rental companies will keep developing their digital platforms, providing consumers with a more seamless hiring process. Revenue is forecast to climb at an annualised 2.4% over the five years through 2029-30 to $1.67 billion.

In a survey conducted in Australia in 2023, around one third of respondents indicated that they spend between 16 to 30 percent of their weekly income on rent. Over five percent of respondents spent between 61 and 75 percent of their weekly income on rent.

In the second quarter of 2021, the average regional gross rent of department stores in Australia was 225 Australian dollars per square meter. On the other end of the scale, the average regional gross rent of specialty tenants was 1,515 Australian dollars per square meter.

In Australia, regional supermarkets had the highest average gross rent in the first quarter of 2021 at 400 Australian dollars per square meter. The sub-regional and neighborhood supermarkets had gross rent of 390 Australian dollar per square meter.

The majority of guests on Airbnb are women. Most Airbnb guests are aged 25 to 34.

In December 2024, retail property rent asking prices were forecasted to increase by around 1.87 percent. The Commercial Property Asking Price Index tracks the monthly change in vendor sentiment towards commercial rental properties advertised in Australia.

The average housing costs for Australian renters of private property amounted to 415 Australian dollars per week in 2020. In 2022, between 21 to 29 percent of the household income of renters was spent on rent across the country.

Short-term impact of the coronavirus pandemic

With the global outbreak of COVID-19, the historically strong Australian housing market is not immune. In the short-term, the country saw a drop in rental housing demand as a direct result of migration ceasing, falling overseas student numbers, and younger people opting to stay home. With travel opening up, a spike in rental vacancy rates is expected, with short-term rentals, such as those from travel websites, suddenly flooding the long-term rental market. The influx of housing may ease pressure on potential tenants in certain areas, and it may have the carry-on effect of rental costs stabilizing, or in some cases declining. In the inner suburbs of Sydney and Melbourne, for instance, there has already been a significant increase in rental listings compared to the previous year.

In the first half of 2020, the rental price of retail colocation space in Sydney, Australia, was between 230 and 280 U.S. dollars per month. Pricing in hyperscale cloud and wholesale colocation was less expensive, with monthly rent between 145 and 160 U.S. dollars for hyperscale, and 175 and 255 U.S. dollars for wholesale colocation. Hyperscale data centers have the largest power requirements and customers are usually a cloud or large tech company. Wholesale and retail colocation, on the other hand, have smaller power requirements.

In a survey conducted in the third quarter of 2024 about commercial property in Australia, the participants expected the retail rents to decrease by 2.2 percent in the state of Victoria in the next twelve months. In Western Australia, an increase in rents was expected in the retail space.

This statistic shows median price for a two-bedroom apartment in Melbourne, Australia in 2015/2016, by region. That year, the median price for a two-bedroom apartment in Regional Melbourne was 235,000 Australian dollars.

In Australia in 2020, office desk space in enterprise suites had the highest average monthly cost at 767 Australian dollars. With an average monthly cost of 369 Australian dollars, virtual office desk space was the most affordable.

In the central business district of Adelaide, the highest net face rent for premium office property was 550 Australian dollars per square meter and the lowest was 430 Australian dollars per square meter. The net face rent for a B grade office property ranged from 285 to 355 Australian dollars per square meter.

In February 2025, the Australian city of Melbourne had a residential rental property vacancy rate of around 1.8 percent. The February residential rental property vacancy rate in Melbourne reached a high of 5.3 percent in 2021.

Portugal, Canada, and the United States were the countries with the highest house price to income ratio in 2023. In all three countries, the index exceeded 130 index points, while the average for all OECD countries stood at 117.5 index points. The index measures the development of housing affordability and is calculated by dividing nominal house price by nominal disposable income per head, with 2015 set as a base year when the index amounted to 100. An index value of 120, for example, would mean that house price growth has outpaced income growth by 20 percent since 2015. How have house prices worldwide changed since the COVID-19 pandemic? House prices started to rise gradually after the global financial crisis (2007–2008), but this trend accelerated with the pandemic. The countries with advanced economies, which usually have mature housing markets, experienced stronger growth than countries with emerging economies. Real house price growth (accounting for inflation) peaked in 2022 and has since lost some of the gain. Although, many countries experienced a decline in house prices, the global house price index shows that property prices in 2023 were still substantially higher than before COVID-19. Renting vs. buying In the past, house prices have grown faster than rents. However, the home affordability has been declining notably, with a direct impact on rental prices. As people struggle to buy a property of their own, they often turn to rental accommodation. This has resulted in a growing demand for rental apartments and soaring rental prices.