More expensive than Sydney: Queensland rental prices reach record high – realestate.com.au

Rents in Queensland have reached an all-time high, with Brisbane and the regions now tied at $670 per week – with one growing city now more expensive than Sydney.

Rents on the Gold Coast are now a shock $850 per week, or just over $44,000 per year – higher than rental costs in Sydney’s median of $760 per week.

The statewide $670 per week, or almost $35,000 per year, means rent now consumes more than a third of many household incomes – the official threshold for rent stress – with Queensland topping regional figures nationally.

The average home rent on the Gold Coast is higher than that in Sydney.

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Unit rents in Brisbane rose more than house rents by 2025.

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The average rental price for all properties in Brisbane rose by 3.1 per cent in the December quarter and by 6.3 per cent in 2025, making the city one of Australia’s toughest rental markets. Anne Flaherty, senior economist at the REA Group, warned of little improvement in sight across the state.

“The rate at which we have seen house prices and rental prices rise in Brisbane has far outpaced the rate at which people’s salaries have risen,” Ms Flaherty warned.

“The end result is that people spend a much higher percentage of their net salary on housing costs compared to a few years ago.”

The latest data from Realestate.com.au Market Insight based on PropTrack shows that regional areas that once offered an affordable escape no longer did. The Gold Coast was $180 a week more expensive than Brisbane after it too rose 6.3 per cent in 2025 and 2.4 per cent in the quarter. That was a dollar increase from the average rental cost of $2,600.

Average home rent in Cairns rose 8.7 per cent last year to $625 per week.

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Townsvile’s average rent rose a 10 percent bump last year to $550 a week.

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In Cairns, rents rose 4.2 per cent in the quarter and 8.7 per cent over the year to $625 per week – an increase of $2,600 year-on-year.

Townsville also recorded a rise of $2,600 year-on-year, up 1.9 per cent over the quarter but a 10 per cent bump year-on-year to around $550 – underscoring how regional markets were no longer insulated from the wider housing crisis.

Ms Flaherty said rental stress is becoming the norm rather than the exception.

“If you’re spending more than about a third of your income on rent, you know you have rent stress, but that’s becoming the norm for many families,” she says.

Even the traditional “cheaper option” of renting a home has been wiped out; Brisbane residential rental prices have risen 8.3 per cent in the past year – faster than houses at 6.2 per cent – ​​as demand concentrates in inner-city areas where most rental properties are located.

The pressure was caused by a chronic housing shortage combined with strong population growth, she said.

“Unless we see a dramatic shift, all signs point to a more expensive market,” Ms Flaherty said.

The latest PropTrack report on rental prices. Source: PropTrack

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“Until we see a meaningful turnaround in housing supply, which will take several years, it will remain a challenging and expensive rental market.”

There was some hope on the horizon as investor activity begins to pick up, which could ultimately help boost rental supply, she said.

The government’s 5 percent down payment program was also a system that could free up rental properties – if it helped tenants transition into their own homes – but that was dependent on whether or not they had previously purchased property for investors.

Ms Flaherty said that while rental growth is unlikely to return to the extreme levels of 2022 and 2023, prices are still expected to rise in 2026.

“Rents are expected to rise, just at a slower pace compared to what we saw a few years ago,” she said.

NEW RENTAL RECORDS:

BRISBANE

All Homes Increased 6.3%/yr to $670/wk

Houses are rising 6.2% per year to $690 per week

Units increase by 8.3% per year to $650 per week

REGIONAL QLD

All Homes Increased 6.3%/yr to $670/wk

House up 4.6% per year to $680 per week

Units increase by 8.3% per year to $650 per week

GOLD COAST

All homes increase 6.3%/yr to $850.

CITYVILLE

All homes up 10%/yr to $550.

CAIRNS

All Homes Increased 8.7%/yr to $625/wk.

(Source: PropTrack)