The national median was A$713 a week in the July to September 2026 quarter, according to Cotality. By capital city, the SQM Research index for the week of 4 November 2026 runs from A$917 in Sydney to A$598 in Hobart. A room costs less, but we have not found a national statistic for rooms.
In Australia rent is quoted per week. To convert it to months, multiply by 52 and divide by 12: A$300 a week is A$1,300 a month.
Capital cities: SQM Research index
Week to 4 November 2026, in A$ per week, rounded. SQM is a private company.
| City | Houses | Apartments | All |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 1,171 | 744 | 917 |
| Perth | 891 | 671 | 800 |
| Brisbane | 841 | 654 | 756 |
| Darwin | 861 | 639 | 730 |
| Melbourne | 827 | 585 | 687 |
| Canberra | 803 | 588 | 684 |
| Adelaide | 703 | 551 | 652 |
| Hobart | 621 | 563 | 598 |
What Cotality says
It is another private company, with its own method. On 9 October 2026 it published this data for the July to September quarter:
| Area | Weekly median | Change in the quarter | Vacancy rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | A$713 | +0.5% | 2.1% |
| Sydney | A$843 | −0.4% | 2.5% |
| Perth | A$798 | Not stated | Not stated |
| Darwin | A$774 | +5.8% | Not stated |
| Adelaide | Not stated | +1.7% | 1.4% |
| Hobart | Not stated | +0.2% | 3.1% |
The article gives no figure for Melbourne. Nationally, rent rose 5.5% in a year.
Official bond data
New South Wales and Queensland publish the median of new rents based on the bonds lodged. These are agreed rents, not advertised ones. In A$ per week:
| Area | Studio | 1-bedroom apartment | 2-bedroom apartment | All dwellings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greater Sydney | 550 | 700 | 800 | 780 |
| City of Sydney | 575 | 819 | 1,150 | 900 |
| Waverley, Bondi area | 600 | 850 | 1,100 | 1,010 |
| Randwick | 605 (little data) | 750 | 950 | 895 |
| Inner West | 500 | 600 | 760 | 760 |
| Parramatta | 450 (little data) | 680 | 750 | 750 |
| Byron | — | 595 | 775 (little data) | 950 |
| City of Brisbane | — | 590 | 720 | 650 |
| Gold Coast | — | 615 | 820 | 820 |
| Sunshine Coast | — | 500 | 680 | 740 |
| Noosa | — | 580 | 800 | 850 |
| Cairns | — | 420 | 530 | 580 |
New South Wales is for April to June 2026, and Queensland for July to September 2026. "Little data" means 30 bonds or fewer. Queensland does not publish studios in this table.
What about a room?
We have not found a reliable national figure. What we have been able to see:
- Queensland, official data: the median for rooming accommodation, rooms with shared areas, was A$395 a week in July to September 2026. It covers the whole state, goes up and down from one quarter to the next (A$349 the previous one) and does not measure shared houses between private individuals.
- Sydney, our own sample: in the thirty or so ads on the first Gumtree page on 5 November 2026, the middle value was around A$250 a week, from A$180 to A$599. It is a small snapshot of asking prices, unchecked and with promoted ads.
- Melbourne: the same page mixed prices per week and per month, so we did not work out a figure.
How to search for one and what to look at is in shared room.
How much do you pay on entry?
The bond and rent in advance are paid at the start, and the limits change by state. An example with the New South Wales rule, 4 weeks of bond and 2 in advance, for a rent of A$300:
| Item | A$ |
|---|---|
| Bond, 4 weeks | 1,200 |
| Rent in advance, 2 weeks | 600 |
| Total on entry | 1,800 |
It is a legal maximum, not what is always charged. If you come in as a boarder or in a house with its own rules, it may be different. The limits are in bond and rights.
Why do the figures not match?
For Sydney, Cotality gives A$843, SQM A$917 and the official data A$780. The method, dates and area change: bond data measure new contracts, and private companies use their own methods. Also, the City of Sydney is only the centre, while Greater Sydney covers the whole metropolitan area. They are useful for comparing within a single source, not between sources.
What we have not been able to confirm
- Melbourne: the official Homes Victoria page did not load, and we only give the SQM index.
- Perth, Adelaide, Hobart, Darwin and Canberra: we have not opened official bond data.
- Domain and REIWA: we could not check them.
These figures go out of date quickly. If a rent seems very low to you, see how to spot a scam.
Sources
All opened on 5 November 2026.
- Rental growth loses momentum, Cotality (company, 9 October 2026)
- Weekly Rents: Sydney, SQM Research (company)
- Weekly Rents: Melbourne, SQM Research (company)
- Weekly Rents: Brisbane, SQM Research (company)
- Weekly Rents: Perth, SQM Research (company)
- Weekly Rents: Adelaide, SQM Research (company)
- Weekly Rents: Canberra, SQM Research (company)
- Weekly Rents: Hobart, SQM Research (company)
- Weekly Rents: Darwin, SQM Research (company)
- Rent and Sales Report, New South Wales Government (official, 18 August 2026)
- Rent tables, June 2026, New South Wales Government (official)
- Median rents, Queensland RTA (official)
- Rent data to September 2026, Queensland RTA (official)
- Rooms in Sydney, Gumtree (company)
- Rooms in Melbourne, Gumtree (company)
- Rental Bonds Online for tenants, NSW (official)
- Paying rent in advance, NSW (official)