{"id":108765,"date":"2026-01-25T11:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-25T00:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/?p=108765"},"modified":"2026-01-24T00:53:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-23T13:53:08","slug":"now-cheapest-to-rent-in-australia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/now-cheapest-to-rent-in-australia\/","title":{"rendered":"You Won\u2019t Believe Which City Is Now Cheapest to Rent in Australia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It wasn\u2019t long ago that Melbourne was known for its caf\u00e9 culture, trams, and sky-high housing costs. Now, it\u2019s making headlines for a different reason \u2014 it\u2019s become the most affordable capital city in Australia to rent a house.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melbourne Tops the List for Rental Affordability<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to new data from CoreLogic, Melbourne has overtaken Adelaide, Brisbane, and even Perth to become the cheapest capital city in which to rent a detached home. The shift comes as rental prices in other major cities continue to climb, particularly in Perth and Brisbane, where surging demand and limited supply are pushing weekly rents to record highs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Melbourne\u2019s median house rent now sits around $580 per week, compared to $630 in Sydney and $650 in Perth. It\u2019s a surprising turnaround for a city that just a few years ago was considered one of the most expensive in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Rent\"
Credit: Econostrum<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Why Melbourne Rents Are Relatively Lower<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Experts say Melbourne\u2019s relative affordability has less to do with falling prices and more to do with how quickly other markets have risen. After years of pandemic-related population losses, the city\u2019s rental market is still stabilising, even as migration and housing demand rebound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CoreLogic\u2019s head of research Eliza Owen said Melbourne\u2019s supply of new homes and its slower rent growth compared to other capitals have helped keep prices in check. Meanwhile, Perth, Brisbane, and Adelaide have faced much tighter vacancy rates, driving intense competition for available properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Vacancy rates in Melbourne have edged up slightly to 1.2%, still low by historical standards but higher than the near-zero rates seen in parts of Western Australia and Queensland, explains SBS News<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\nhttps:\/\/twitter.com\/MoroccoCouncil\/status\/2012703239632814394\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Renters Still Feeling the Pinch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Even with its \u201cmost affordable\u201d title, renting in Melbourne is far from easy. Wages have not kept pace with rent increases, and competition for well-located homes remains fierce. Suburbs near transport corridors and universities are seeing strong demand from returning international students and young professionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tenants\u2019 advocacy groups say many renters are still struggling to secure stable leases, with inspections attracting dozens of applicants. They\u2019re calling for stronger renter protections and more investment in social housing to relieve long-term pressure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Tale of Two Markets<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The data highlights how Australia\u2019s rental landscape is splitting into two realities \u2014 cities like Perth and Brisbane with extreme rent growth<\/a>, and Melbourne, where prices are rising at a slower pace but still remain high relative to income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Economists say Melbourne\u2019s affordability advantage could narrow later this year as migration continues to pick up and new housing construction lags behind population growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For now, renters in Victoria might finally be catching a small break \u2014 even if it doesn\u2019t feel that way on inspection day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Melbourne is now the most affordable city to rent a house in Australia, as surging prices in other capitals widen the gap between east and west.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":107443,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-108765","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-housing","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108765","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/14"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108765"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108765\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":108767,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108765\/revisions\/108767"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/107443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108765"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108765"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108765"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}