As of June 2025, the average weekly rent for a house in Sydney was *** 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 *** Australian dollars.

Sydney topped the residential rental pricing market in Australia in March 2025, with house rent prices reaching an average of *** Australian dollars per week. The average weekly rent for a unit in Sydney was the highest among all capital cities in the country, followed by Brisbane.

The rent price index in Australia in the first quarter of 2025 was *****, marking an increase from the same quarter of the previous year. Rent prices had decreased in 2020; in Melbourne and Sydney, this was mainly attributed to the absence of international students during the coronavirus outbreak. The current state of the rental market in Australia The rental market in Australia has been marked by varying conditions across different regions. Among the capital cities, Sydney has long been recognized for having some of the highest average rents. As of March 2025, the average weekly rent for a house in Sydney was *** Australian dollars, which was the highest average rent across all major cities in Australia that year. Furthermore, due to factors like population growth and housing demand, regional areas have also seen noticeable increases in rental prices. For instance, households in the non-metropolitan area of New South Wales’ expenditure on rent was around ** percent of their household income in the year ending June 2024. Housing affordability in Australia Housing affordability remains a significant challenge in Australia, contributing to a trend where many individuals and families rent for prolonged periods. The underlying cause of this issue is the ongoing disparity between household wages and housing costs, especially in large cities. While renting offers several advantages, it is worth noting that the associated costs may not always align with the expectation of affordability. Approximately one-third of participants in a recent survey stated that they pay between ** and ** percent of their monthly income on rent. Recent government initiatives, such as the 2024 Help to Buy scheme, aim to make it easier for people across Australia to get onto the property ladder. Still, the multifaceted nature of Australia’s housing affordability problem requires continued efforts to strike a balance between market dynamics and the need for accessible housing options for Australians.

Australia Standardised Price-Rent Ratio: sa data was reported at 168.732 Ratio in Dec 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 171.919 Ratio for Sep 2024. Australia Standardised Price-Rent Ratio: sa data is updated quarterly, averaging 70.511 Ratio from Sep 1972 (Median) to Dec 2024, with 210 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 189.671 Ratio in Mar 2022 and a record low of 48.119 Ratio in Sep 1972. Australia Standardised Price-Rent Ratio: sa data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Australia – Table AU.OECD.AHPI: House Price Index: Seasonally Adjusted: OECD Member: Quarterly. Nominal house prices divided by rent price indices. The long-term average is calculated over the whole period available when the indicator begins after 1980 or after 1980 if the indicator is longer. This value is used as a reference value. The ratio is calculated by dividing the indicator source on this long-term average, and indexed to a reference value equal to 100.

In the first quarter of 2025, the house price-to-rent ratio in Australia was estimated at ***, marking a decrease from the same quarter of the previous year. An indicator of how strong the property market is, the house price-to-rent ratio was calculated by dividing nominal house prices by rent price indices. Within the given period, after reaching a peak in the first quarter of 2022, the price-to-rent ratio decreased each quarter until the second quarter of 2023. From then on, the house price-to-rent ratio fluctuated, but largely trended downwards. Is Australia in a property bubble? Many industry experts believe the country is in a property bubble, indicated by the rapid increase in Australian property market prices to the point that they are no longer relative to incomes and rents, followed by a decline. The house price-to-income ratio was on an upward trend between the third quarter of 2022 and the second quarter of 2024. Nonetheless, after hitting its peak, it declined to ***** in the fourth quarter of 2024. Rental property demand In March 2025, the rental vacancy rate, which indicates how many properties are available for rent out of all the rental stock, was relatively high in Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney. That year, the average weekly rent prices varied across the country depending on the city, with the highest average weekly rents for houses and units in Sydney. Hobart, on the other hand, had the most affordable rental properties across Australia's capital cities.

Rent Inflation in Australia decreased to 4.50 percent in the second quarter of 2025 from 5.50 percent in the first quarter of 2025. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for Australia Rent Inflation.

Quarterly summary of median private rent in South Australia by: suburb, postcode, State Government regions and Local Government Areas. The information relates to bonds lodged with Consumer and Business Services for private rental properties in South Australia.

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 *** Australian dollars per square meter. The second highest net face rent was in Central West Sydney with a net face rent of *** Australian dollars per square meter.

In the first quarter of 2025, the average retail rent of shopping malls in New South Wales, Australia was ***** Australian dollars per square meter. In Western Australia, the average rent of regional shopping centers was ***** Australian dollars per square meter.

As of September 2024, the average rental yield of houses in Sydney, New South Wales, was **** percent. In Darwin, the rental yield for houses measured **** percent, which was the highest across all Australian capital cities during that quarter.

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.

Dataset showing minimum daily prices, average user ratings, and total number of reviews for the top car rental companies in Australia, collected over the past year.

Firms in the Real Estate Investment Trusts industry manage publicly listed trusts, focusing largely on commercial property. These trusts typically trade as stapled securities listed on the ASX. Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) in the industry purchase and manage retail, office, industrial and other types of property. REITs generate rental income by leasing properties to businesses and investment income through developing or selling properties. Rental income generated by REITs is relatively stable, while investment income can fluctuate significantly every year. Despite volatile operating conditions in recent years, industry firms have benefited from growth in the number of businesses and low borrowing costs over the two years through 2021-22, enabling many industry REITs to expand their property portfolios. Nonetheless, aggressive cash rate hikes, particularly during 2022-23, impacted the industry's performance by increasing borrowing costs and constraining expansion efforts. Industry-wide revenue has been growing at an annualised 0.9% over the past five years and is expected to total $20.9 billion in 2024-25, when revenue will rise by an estimated 1.7%. The industry has faced volatile trading conditions in recent years, with the COVID-19 pandemic creating significant demand disruptions in key product segments, including retail and office property markets. Industry enterprises have inched downwards in recent years due to acquisition activity among some of the industry's larger firms. Nonetheless, several new REITs have been listed on the ASX over the past few years, supporting growth in industry establishments. REITs are set to benefit from rising demand for commercial property over the coming years. Economic conditions will stabilise, with demand for retail and office property poised to climb. Some industrial companies are set to reshore manufacturing activities or retain more inventory to ensure the reliability of supply chains. This trend will boost demand for industrial property. Rising demand across key property segments will enable REITs to implement rent increases, supporting revenue growth and industry profitability over the period. Overall, industry revenue is forecast to grow at an annualised 3.8% over the five years through 2029-30 to total $25.2 billion.

In 2025, Airbnbs in Perth, Western Australia, had the highest average occupancy rates across the Australian cities and regions represented, with an average occupancy of around ** percent. Airbnbs in the Surfers Paradise, Brisbane, and Gold Coast areas had the next highest occupancy rates that year.

Car Rental (hiring of a passenger vehicle for self drive, which includes cars and small vans, by both business and leisure travelers for short term duration; excluding leasing and long term rentals) market has evolved intensely in the very recent years and is also expected to evolve in similar fashion in the near future. The report Car Rentals (Self Drive) Market in Australia to 2022: Fleet Size, Rental Occasion and Days, Utilization Rate and Average Revenue Analytics provides deep dive data analytics on wide ranging Car Rental market aspects including overall market value by customer type – Business and Leisure, by point of rental – Airport and Non-Airport, Insurance / Temporary Replacement Revenue, Car Rental Occasion, Days and Length for the period 2013 to 2017. Read More

The central business district in New South Wales had the highest average net face rent for prime office property in Australia in the first quarter of 2025, with an average rent of ***** Australian dollars per square meter. In comparison, Victoria's CBD had an average net face rent of *** Australian dollars per square meter of office property.

In the first quarter of 2025, the average net face rent of industrial property in New South Wales was around *** Australian dollars per square meter. In comparison, the average net face rent of industrial property in Victoria was around *** Australian dollars per square meter.

Sydney had the highest median house value compared to other capital cities in Australia as of April 2025, with a value of over **** million Australian dollars. Brisbane similarly had relatively high average residential housing values, passing Canberra and Melbourne to top the pricing markets for real estate across the country alongside Sydney. Housing affordability in Australia Throughout 2024, the average price of residential dwellings remained high across Australia, with several capital cities breaking price records. Rising house prices continue to be an issue for potential homeowners, with many low- and middle-income earners priced out of the market. In the fourth quarter of 2024, Australia’s house price-to-income ratio declined slightly to ***** index points. With the share of household income spent on mortgage repayments increasing alongside the disparity in supply and demand, inflating construction costs, and low borrowing capacity, the homeownership dream has become an unattainable prospect for the average person in Australia. Does the rental market offer better prospects? Renting for prolonged periods has become inevitable for many Australians due to the country’s largely inaccessible property ladder. However, record low vacancy rates and elevated median weekly house and unit rent prices within Australia’s rental market are making renting a less appealing prospect. In financial year 2024, households in the Greater Sydney metropolitan area reported spending around ** percent of their household income on rent.

Australia’s real house price index increased to ***** in the first quarter of 2025. House prices fluctuated over the reported period compared to the base year of 2015, experiencing a sharp increase throughout 2021, with the country’s house price index peaking in the first quarter of 2022 at *****. Prospective homeowners priced out of the market Recent house price increases reflect the ongoing challenges of housing affordability in Australia. Property prices largely outpace income growth, reigniting discussions about whether the country is stuck in a property bubble, a topic that has been debated for over a decade. The country’s house price-to-income ratio hit ***** in the second quarter of 2024, the highest ratio recorded over the past five years, making it increasingly difficult to get on the property ladder. Unaffordable rental conditions Australia’s rental market has also seen challenges, with the rent price index continuing to climb throughout 2024 into the first quarter of 2025, making the prospect of renting less appealing. As of March 2025, the average weekly house rent price in Sydney stood at *** Australian dollars, the highest across the country’s major cities. Canberra, Darwin, and Perth were the next most expensive markets for house rents, while Hobart was the most affordable capital city for both house and unit rent prices.

This is the complete breakdown of how much revenue Airbnb makes in commission from listings in each region.