[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":456},["ShallowReactive",2],{"active-categories":3,"blowouts":28,"story-\u002Fstories\u002Frent-prices-australia":83,"related-\u002Fstories\u002Frent-prices-australia":415,"surround-\u002Fstories\u002Frent-prices-australia":451},[4,6,8,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27],{"category":5},"follow-the-money",{"category":7},"cost-of-living",{"category":9},"government-waste",{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":7},{"category":7},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":5},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":7},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":9},{"category":7},{"category":5},{"category":7},{"category":9},{"category":9},[29,39,49,58,66,75],{"path":30,"title":31,"category":9,"date":32,"blowout":33},"\u002Fstories\u002Fbom-website-96-million-one-year-on","One year on: the BOM website that cost $96.5 million, not $4 million","2026-10-24",{"project":34,"originalCost":35,"currentCost":36,"announced":37,"note":38},"BOM website",4100000,96500000,"2025","$4.1m was the figure first given to the public.",{"path":40,"title":41,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":43},"\u002Fstories\u002Fcross-river-rail-cost-blowout-19-billion","Cross River Rail was sold as a $5.4 billion project. The government now says it costs $19 billion","2026-10-25",{"project":44,"originalCost":45,"currentCost":46,"announced":47,"note":48},"Cross River Rail",5400000000,19041000000,"2017","Queensland Government figure (Oct 2025). It includes 25 years of tunnel maintenance and network works; Labor disputes counting them.",{"path":50,"title":51,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":52},"\u002Fstories\u002Fhunter-class-frigates-27-billion-three-ships","Hunter-class frigates: sold as nine warships for $35 billion. We're now paying $27 billion for three",{"project":53,"originalCost":54,"currentCost":55,"announced":56,"note":57},"Hunter-class frigates",35000000000,45600000000,"2018","2020 Force Structure Plan estimate for nine ships. The program is now six ships; close to $27bn is allocated for the first three, including the Osborne shipyard.",{"path":59,"title":60,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":61},"\u002Fstories\u002Finland-rail-cost-blowout-45-billion-parkes","Inland Rail was sold as a $10.7 billion project. It now costs $45.6 billion, and stops at Parkes",{"project":62,"originalCost":63,"currentCost":55,"announced":64,"note":65},"Inland Rail",10660000000,"2015","Both P90 estimates for the full Melbourne to Brisbane line. Only Beveridge to Parkes is now being built.",{"path":67,"title":68,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":69},"\u002Fstories\u002Fnorth-east-link-cost-blowout-26-billion","North East Link was sold as a $10 billion road. It now costs $26 billion",{"project":70,"originalCost":71,"currentCost":72,"announced":73,"note":74},"North East Link",10000000000,26100000000,"2016","Victoria's December 2023 estimate. Includes the Eastern Freeway and M80 upgrades added since.",{"path":76,"title":77,"category":9,"date":42,"blowout":78},"\u002Fstories\u002Fsnowy-2-0-cost-blowout-25-billion","Snowy 2.0 was sold as a $2 billion project. It could now cost $25 billion",{"project":79,"originalCost":80,"currentCost":81,"announced":47,"note":82},"Snowy 2.0",2000000000,22200000000,"Target cost. Up to $25bn with contingency; transmission not included.",{"id":84,"title":85,"author":86,"bigNumber":87,"bigNumberLabel":88,"blowout":89,"body":90,"category":7,"date":366,"description":367,"draft":368,"extension":369,"featured":368,"focusKeywords":370,"image":376,"imageAlt":377,"meta":378,"navigation":379,"path":380,"people":381,"readingTime":382,"refresh":89,"seo":383,"shareImage":89,"sources":384,"stem":409,"tags":410,"updated":89,"__hash__":414},"stories\u002Fstories\u002Frent-prices-australia.md","Rent prices in Australia now take a record 34% of income","Aussie Outrage","34%","Share of pre-tax income the typical renting household spent on rent in June 2026, the highest on record",null,{"type":91,"value":92,"toc":356},"minimark",[93,106,109,114,119,129,132,176,182,189,207,214,218,229,237,248,252,259,266,273,277,284,290,299,310,314,317,321,333,342],[94,95,96,97,101,102,105],"p",{},"Rent prices in Australia have never taken a bigger share of renters' income. The typical renting household spent about ",[98,99,100],"strong",{},"34% of its pre-tax income"," on rent in June 2026, the highest on record, according to property data firm Cotality. The national median rent is now ",[98,103,104],{},"$713 a week",".",[94,107,108],{},"And on the minimum wage, there's almost nothing to rent at all. Here's what renters pay, why rent is so expensive, and whether rent prices in Australia will come down.",[110,111],"big-stat",{"label":112,"source":113,"value":87},"Share of pre-tax income the typical renting household spent on rent in June 2026, the highest on record. The recent low was 26.2% in September 2020.","Cotality Quarterly Rental Review, September 2026; ABC News (Cotality data), February 2026",[115,116,118],"h2",{"id":117},"rent-prices-in-australia-right-now","Rent prices in Australia right now",[94,120,121,122,124,125,128],{},"Cotality's September 2026 review puts the national median rent at ",[98,123,104],{},", up ",[98,126,127],{},"5.5%"," in a year. That's about $37,000 a year before you've paid for anything else.",[94,130,131],{},"The capitals with the highest median rents:",[133,134,135,148],"table",{},[136,137,138],"thead",{},[139,140,141,145],"tr",{},[142,143,144],"th",{},"City",[142,146,147],{},"Median rent (September 2026)",[149,150,151,160,168],"tbody",{},[139,152,153,157],{},[154,155,156],"td",{},"Sydney",[154,158,159],{},"$843 a week",[139,161,162,165],{},[154,163,164],{},"Perth",[154,166,167],{},"$798 a week",[139,169,170,173],{},[154,171,172],{},"Darwin",[154,174,175],{},"$774 a week (up 11.6% in a year)",[94,177,178],{},[179,180,181],"em",{},"Source: Cotality Quarterly Rental Review, September 2026. Annual figure for 52 weeks at the national median is an Aussie Outrage calculation ($713 × 52).",[94,183,184],{},[185,186],"img",{"alt":187,"src":188},"A high-rise apartment building on Smith Street in Darwin's city centre","\u002Fimages\u002Frent-darwin-apartments.jpg",[94,190,191],{},[179,192,193,194,201,202,105],{},"Darwin had the fastest rent rise of the capitals in Cotality's September 2026 review. Photo: Ken Hodge, ",[195,196,200],"a",{"href":197,"rel":198},"https:\u002F\u002Fcreativecommons.org\u002Flicenses\u002Fby\u002F2.0",[199],"nofollow","CC BY 2.0",", via ",[195,203,206],{"href":204,"rel":205},"https:\u002F\u002Fcommons.wikimedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FFile:Marrakai_Apartments_in_Darwin_in_April_2012.jpg",[199],"Wikimedia Commons",[94,208,209,210,213],{},"The ABS measures rent differently, across all tenants including those on existing leases, not just new listings. On its measure, rents rose ",[98,211,212],{},"3.6%"," in the 12 months to August 2026.",[115,215,217],{"id":216},"rents-rose-25-times-faster-than-wages","Rents rose 2.5 times faster than wages",[94,219,220,221,224,225,228],{},"Over five years, rents have run away from pay. In the five years to September 2025, national rents rose ",[98,222,223],{},"43.9%",", while wages rose ",[98,226,227],{},"17.5%"," (Cotality, reported by the ABC). In Western Australia, rents rose 66% against wage growth of 18.5%.",[230,231],"bar-chart",{":data":232,":decimals":233,"source":234,"subtitle":235,"suffix":236,"title":217},"[{\"label\":\"Wages\",\"value\":17.5},{\"label\":\"Rents\",\"value\":43.9,\"highlight\":true}]","1","Cotality, reported by ABC News, 11 February 2026","Growth over the five years to September 2025, per cent","%",[94,238,239,240,243,244,247],{},"In dollars, Cotality's September 2026 review says five years of rises have added about ",[98,241,242],{},"$208 a week"," to the typical unit rent (up 44.3%) and ",[98,245,246],{},"$195 a week"," to the typical house rent (up 36.6%).",[115,249,251],{"id":250},"who-can-afford-to-rent-almost-no-one-on-low-incomes","Who can afford to rent? Almost no one on low incomes",[94,253,254,255,258],{},"Every year Anglicare Australia takes a snapshot of the tens of thousands of rentals listed on realestate.com.au over one weekend, and counts how many a household could rent without spending more than 30% of its income. On 14–15 March 2026 there were ",[98,256,257],{},"48,776"," listings. Here's how many were affordable:",[230,260],{":data":261,":decimals":233,"source":262,"subtitle":263,"suffix":236,"title":264,"note":265},"[{\"label\":\"Single, JobSeeker\",\"value\":0,\"display\":\"1 home\"},{\"label\":\"Single, Age Pension\",\"value\":0.2},{\"label\":\"Single, full-time minimum wage\",\"value\":0.5,\"highlight\":true},{\"label\":\"Family of four, both parents on minimum wage\",\"value\":14.8}]","Anglicare Australia, Rental Affordability Snapshot 2026","Share of 48,776 rental listings that were affordable and suitable, March 2026, per cent","On the minimum wage, 0.5% of rentals are affordable","Affordable means rent of no more than 30% of the household's income. JobSeeker: one property nationally.",[94,267,268,269,272],{},"A single person working full-time on the minimum wage could afford ",[98,270,271],{},"255"," of those 48,776 homes. A family of four with both parents on the full-time minimum wage could afford 14.8%. Anglicare notes that in earlier years of its snapshot, a family with two minimum wage incomes could afford around one in four listings.",[115,274,276],{"id":275},"why-is-rent-so-expensive-in-australia","Why is rent so expensive in Australia?",[94,278,279,280,283],{},"Not enough homes, and not enough empty ones. Cotality's national vacancy rate was ",[98,281,282],{},"2.1%"," in September 2026, below its pre-COVID decade average of 3.3%. Cotality's research director, Tim Lawless, says rent growth was strongest in the pandemic, \"when average household sizes fell sharply as people sought additional space\".",[94,285,286],{},[185,287],{"alt":288,"src":289},"New two-storey homes on a freshly built street in Pemulwuy, Western Sydney","\u002Fimages\u002Frent-pemulwuy-new-homes.jpg",[94,291,292],{},[179,293,294,295,105],{},"A new housing estate in Pemulwuy, Western Sydney. Photo: Yucalyptus, CC0, via ",[195,296,206],{"href":297,"rel":298},"https:\u002F\u002Fcommons.wikimedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FFile:Pemulwuy,_NSW.jpg",[199],[94,300,301,302,305,306,309],{},"The main answer from governments is the National Housing Accord: a target agreed by National Cabinet in August 2023 of ",[98,303,304],{},"1.2 million new homes"," in the five years from 1 July 2024 to 30 June 2029. Two years in, Australia is about ",[98,307,308],{},"124,000 homes behind"," the pace needed, according to the Urban Development Institute of Australia's count of ABS completions (355,820 built against 480,000 needed). The UDIA projects the shortfall could reach about 310,000 by the end of the Accord.",[115,311,313],{"id":312},"will-rent-prices-go-down","Will rent prices go down?",[94,315,316],{},"Rents are rising more slowly, not falling. Cotality says rents rose just 0.5% in the September quarter, down from 1.6% in June and 2.1% in March, and vacancies are rising. Mr Lawless's explanation: \"renters are reaching an affordability ceiling.\" In other words, rents are slowing because tenants can't pay more, not because there are suddenly enough homes.",[318,319],"faq",{":items":320},"[{\"q\":\"What is the average rent in Australia?\",\"a\":\"The national median rent was $713 a week in September 2026, up 5.5% in a year, according to Cotality's Quarterly Rental Review. Sydney's median was $843 a week, the highest of the capitals.\"},{\"q\":\"How much of their income do Australians spend on rent?\",\"a\":\"About 34% of pre-tax income for the typical renting household in June 2026, the highest on record, according to Cotality. The recent low was 26.2% in September 2020.\"},{\"q\":\"Why is rent so expensive in Australia?\",\"a\":\"Mainly a shortage of homes to rent. Cotality's national vacancy rate was 2.1% in September 2026, below its pre-COVID decade average of 3.3%, and Australia is about 124,000 homes behind the pace needed for the National Housing Accord's 1.2 million new homes, according to the UDIA.\"},{\"q\":\"Will rent prices go down in Australia?\",\"a\":\"They're rising more slowly, not falling. Cotality says national rents rose 0.5% in the September 2026 quarter, down from 2.1% in March, and its research director says renters are reaching an affordability ceiling. We don't forecast rents.\"},{\"q\":\"Is there a rental crisis in Australia?\",\"a\":\"On the numbers, yes for low-income renters, and rent takes a record 34% of the typical renting household's pre-tax income (Cotality, June 2026). Anglicare's March 2026 snapshot found a full-time minimum wage worker could afford 0.5% of 48,776 rental listings, and a single person on JobSeeker could afford one.\"},{\"q\":\"How much have rents gone up compared with wages?\",\"a\":\"National rents rose 43.9% in the five years to September 2025, while wages rose 17.5%, according to Cotality data reported by the ABC in February 2026.\"}]",[94,322,323,324,328,329,105],{},"For the typical renting household, about a third of pre-tax income now goes to the landlord. On the minimum wage, the rental market barely exists. It's the same squeeze that's pushing up ",[195,325,327],{"href":326},"\u002Fstories\u002Faustralia-inflation-rate","Australia's inflation rate",", and it lands on top of ",[195,330,332],{"href":331},"\u002Fstories\u002Fpower-bills-rebates-ended-prices-falling","higher power bills",[94,334,335],{},[179,336,337,338,105],{},"What has your rent gone up by? ",[195,339,341],{"href":340},"\u002Fsubmit-a-story","Tell us",[94,343,344],{},[179,345,346,347,201,352,105],{},"Top photo: terrace houses at Fiveways, Paddington, Sydney. Photo: Kgbo, ",[195,348,351],{"href":349,"rel":350},"https:\u002F\u002Fcreativecommons.org\u002Flicenses\u002Fby-sa\u002F4.0",[199],"CC BY-SA 4.0",[195,353,206],{"href":354,"rel":355},"https:\u002F\u002Fcommons.wikimedia.org\u002Fwiki\u002FFile:Terraced_houses_at_Fiveways,_Paddington,_New_South_Wales.jpg",[199],{"title":357,"searchDepth":358,"depth":359,"links":360},"",2,3,[361,362,363,364,365],{"id":117,"depth":358,"text":118},{"id":216,"depth":358,"text":217},{"id":250,"depth":358,"text":251},{"id":275,"depth":358,"text":276},{"id":312,"depth":358,"text":313},"2026-10-28","Rent prices in Australia: the median is $713 a week, renters pay a record 34% of income, and a full-time minimum wage worker can afford 0.5% of listings.",false,"md",[371,372,373,374,375],"rent prices in australia","rent prices australia","average rent australia","rental crisis australia","why is rent so expensive in australia","\u002Fimages\u002Frent-paddington-terraces.jpg","A row of terrace houses on a leafy street at Fiveways, Paddington, in Sydney",{},true,"\u002Fstories\u002Frent-prices-australia",[],6,{"title":85,"description":367},[385,388,391,394,397,400,403,406],{"title":386,"url":387},"Cotality: Quarterly Rental Review, September 2026 (9 Oct 2026)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.cotality.com\u002Fau\u002Finsights\u002Farticles\u002Frental-growth-loses-momentum-as-vacancy-rates-rise",{"title":389,"url":390},"Anglicare Australia: Rental Affordability Snapshot 2026, National Report (April 2026)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.anglicare.asn.au\u002Fwp-content\u002Fuploads\u002F2026\u002F04\u002FRental-Affordability-Snapshot-2026-National-Report.pdf",{"title":392,"url":393},"ABS: Consumer Price Index, Australia, August 2026","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.abs.gov.au\u002Fstatistics\u002Feconomy\u002Fprice-indexes-and-inflation\u002Fconsumer-price-index-australia\u002Faug-2026",{"title":395,"url":396},"ABC News: Rental affordability hits record low as rents rise 2.5 times faster than wages (11 Feb 2026)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.abc.net.au\u002Fnews\u002F2026-02-11\u002Frental-affordability-rents-rise-faster-than-wages-cotality\u002F106327364",{"title":398,"url":399},"ABS: Latest insights into the rental market (28 May 2025)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.abs.gov.au\u002Farticles\u002Flatest-insights-rental-market",{"title":401,"url":402},"Treasury: Delivering the National Housing Accord","https:\u002F\u002Ftreasury.gov.au\u002Fpolicy-topics\u002Fhousing\u002Faccord",{"title":404,"url":405},"Prime Minister: Meeting of National Cabinet, working together to deliver better housing outcomes (16 Aug 2023)","https:\u002F\u002Fwww.pm.gov.au\u002Fmedia\u002Fmeeting-national-cabinet-working-together-deliver-better-housing-outcomes",{"title":407,"url":408},"UDIA: Completions improve, but Australia remains 124,000 homes behind National Housing Accord target (8 Oct 2026)","https:\u002F\u002Fudia.com.au\u002F2026\u002F10\u002Fcompletions-improve-but-australia-remains-124000-homes-behind-national-housing-accord-target\u002F","stories\u002Frent-prices-australia",[411,412,413,7],"rent","housing","renters","B0WI28JzTwvcgB_94XG2WpohsUriIYr9igdJmrs_Bbc",[416,425,434,443],{"path":417,"title":418,"description":419,"date":366,"category":7,"author":86,"image":420,"imageAlt":421,"bigNumber":422,"bigNumberLabel":423,"readingTime":424,"featured":368},"\u002Fstories\u002Fcar-insurance-premiums-up-42-percent","Car insurance premiums: up 42%, and insurers don't say why","Car insurance premiums in Australia rose 42% in five years and another 8% last year. ASIC found no insurer explained why. What's driving it and how to pay less.","\u002Fimages\u002Fcar-insurance-eastern-freeway-traffic.jpg","Morning peak-hour traffic banked up on Melbourne's Eastern Freeway","42%","Rise in the average comprehensive car insurance premium from 2019 to 2024, before another 8% in 2024-25",8,{"path":426,"title":427,"description":428,"date":366,"category":7,"author":86,"image":429,"imageAlt":430,"bigNumber":431,"bigNumberLabel":432,"readingTime":433,"featured":368},"\u002Fstories\u002Fcoles-down-down-court-case-discounts-not-genuine","Coles Down Down court case: 13 of 14 discounts not genuine","The Coles Down Down court case: a judge found 13 of 14 discounts weren't genuine. No penalty until 2027, Woolworths awaits judgment, and profits are up.","\u002Fimages\u002Fcoles-aisle-trolley.jpg","A shopping trolley in a Coles supermarket aisle lined with stocked shelves and yellow price tickets","13 of 14","Coles 'Down Down' tickets the Federal Court found misleading, because the discount wasn't genuine",7,{"path":326,"title":435,"description":436,"date":437,"category":7,"author":86,"image":438,"imageAlt":439,"bigNumber":440,"bigNumberLabel":441,"readingTime":442,"featured":368},"Australia's inflation rate climbs to 4.3%. Here's why","Australia's inflation rate rose to 4.3% in September 2026, up from 4.0%. Petrol, up 23.6% in a year, and power bills after the rebates ended led the rise.","2026-10-27","\u002Fimages\u002Finflation-petrol-prices-brisbane.jpg","A United service station in Brisbane with its price board showing unleaded at 241.9 cents a litre and diesel at 295.9","4.3%","Australia's inflation rate, 12 months to September 2026",13,{"path":444,"title":445,"description":446,"date":437,"category":7,"author":86,"image":447,"imageAlt":448,"bigNumber":449,"bigNumberLabel":450,"readingTime":424,"featured":368},"\u002Fstories\u002Finterest-rate-rises-australia-2026","Interest rate rises in Australia: four in 2026, and the cost","Every RBA interest rate rise in Australia in 2026, why the Reserve Bank raised rates to 4.60%, and what they add to a typical mortgage: about $470 a month.","\u002Fimages\u002Frba-building-sydney.jpg","The upper floors of the Reserve Bank of Australia's office tower in Sydney","$470","Extra a month on the average new home loan after four interest rate rises in 2026",[452,454],{"title":427,"path":426,"stem":453,"description":428,"children":-1},"stories\u002Fcoles-down-down-court-case-discounts-not-genuine",{"title":435,"path":326,"stem":455,"description":436,"children":-1},"stories\u002Faustralia-inflation-rate",1793586230218]