Expenses · Australia
Rent and housing costs in Australia
About $1,534 a month for a 70m² flat — 40.3% of what a median local earner takes home. Estimated; see the caveat below.
The figures
- Rent, 70m² flat
- $1,534/mo
- modelled from the price basket
- Share of local median wage
- 40.3%
- local median ≈ $3,805/mo
- Price-to-income
- 154.4%
- of this country's own long-run average
- Price-to-rent
- 175.5%
- above 100 favours renting
- Mortgage rate
- —
- not published free outside the euro area
- Housing price level
- —
- EU27 = 100 (Eurostat)
Updated 2026-09-01. Price-to-income and price-to-rent compare Australia with its own long-run average, not with other countries. National averages — not financial advice.
Countries with similar rent
- New Zealand — $1,424/mo , 53.4% of local wage
- Norway — $1,459/mo , 23% of local wage
- United Kingdom — $1,466/mo , 40.8% of local wage
- Denmark — $1,545/mo , 31% of local wage
See also: all countries ranked · what people earn in Australia · healthcare costs
Frequently asked questions
How much is rent in Australia?
About $1,534 a month for a 70m² flat — modelled from this site's price basket, which understates housing where it has decoupled from the general cost of living. That is 40.3% of the local median wage of roughly $3,805 a month. A national average, not a quote: what you pay depends on the city, the neighbourhood and when you look.
Can I afford to live in Australia on a remote salary?
That depends on the salary, which is the point. Rent of $1,534 is 40.3% of a local median wage; on a $6,000/month remote income it would be about 26%. The gap between those two figures is the arbitrage, and the housing tool computes it for any income you enter.
Is buying in Australia good value right now?
Price-to-income currently sits at 154.4% of Australia's own long-run average, so housing is 54% less affordable than its historical norm. Price-to-rent is at 175.5% of its own average — above 100 favours renting. These compare Australia with its own past, not with other countries.
Where does this data come from?
OECD (price-to-income and price-to-rent), the ECB (mortgage rates, euro area only) and Eurostat (measured city rents and housing price levels), refreshed at build time — last updated 2026-09-01. OECD — DSD_AN_HOUSE_PRICES, HPI_YDH_AVG (% of long-term average); OECD — DSD_AN_HOUSE_PRICES, HPI_RPI_AVG (% of long-term average); ECB Data Portal — MIR, new housing loans to households (euro area); Eurostat — prc_ppp_ind, ppp_cat A0104 (EU27=100); Eurostat Urban Audit — SA1049V, average annual rent per m² (EUR); Eurostat Urban Audit — SA1053V, apartment price per m² (EUR); Eurostat Urban Audit — SA1051V, average apartment price (EUR); HUD USER — Fair Market Rents FY2026, One-Bedroom (40th-percentile GROSS rent, incl. tenant-paid utilities, USD/month).