This dataset presents the Rental Affordability Index (RAI) for all dwellings. The data uses a single median income value for all of Australia (enabling comparisons across regions), and spans the quarters Q1 2011 to Q2 2021. The RAI covers all states with available data, the Northern Territory does not form part of this dataset. National Shelter, Bendigo Bank, The Brotherhood of St Laurence, and SGS Economics and Planning have released the RentalAffordability Index (RAI) on a biannual basis since 2015. Since 2019, the RAI has been released annually. It is generally accepted that if housing costs exceed 30% of a low-income household's gross income, the household is experiencing housing stress (30/40 rule). That is, housing is unaffordable and housing costs consume a disproportionately high amount of household income. The RAI uses the 30 per cent of income rule. Rental affordability is calculated using the following equation, where 'qualifying income' refers to the household income required to pay rent where rent is equal to 30% of income: RAI = (Median income ∕ Qualifying Income) x 100 In the RAI, households who are paying 30% of income on rent have a score of 100, indicating that these households are at the critical threshold for housing stress. A score of 100 or less indicates that households would pay more than 30% of income to access a rental dwelling, meaning they are at risk of experiencing housing stress. For more information on the Rental Affordability Index please refer to SGS Economics and Planning. The RAI is a price index for housing rental markets. It is a clear and concise indicator of rental affordability relative to household incomes, applied to geographic areas across Australia. AURIN has spatially enabled the original data using geometries provided by SGS Economics and Planning. Values of 'NA' in the original data have been set to NULL.

The rent price index in Australia in the fourth quarter of 2024 was 120.7, 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 and Melbourne have long been recognized for having some of the highest average rents. As of September 2024, the average weekly rent for a house in Sydney was 775 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’s expenditure on rent was around 30 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 survey conducted in 2023 stated that they pay between 16 and 30 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.

住房负担能力指数：维多利亚：墨尔本在06-01-2010达97.300指数，相较于03-01-2010的104.200指数有所下降。住房负担能力指数：维多利亚：墨尔本数据按季更新，09-01-1984至06-01-2010期间平均值为152.932指数，共104份观测结果。该数据的历史最高值出现于09-01-1997，达237.395指数，而历史最低值则出现于06-01-2010，为97.300指数。CEIC提供的住房负担能力指数：维多利亚：墨尔本数据处于定期更新的状态，数据来源于Housing Industry Association，数据归类于全球数据库的澳大利亚 – Table AU.EB015: Housing Affordability Index: Based on Commonwealth Bank of Australia Home Price (Discontinued)。