Key takeaways
Across the capitals, unit rents rose strongly in November, signalling ongoing competition for available stock.
House rents were broadly steady month-on-month, with only a few cities moving meaningfully.
Sydney is still the most expensive for houses and units; Hobart remains the cheapest.
Vacancy rose marginally in most capitals (Canberra steady for houses), suggesting a slight easing from the prior month’s demand surge.
But with all house vacancies below 1.5% and unit vacancies generally low too (even where higher, rents still rose), the market remains landlord-favourable, particularly for units.
Capital city unit rents generally increased over November with house rents steady overall compared to the previous month.
Most capitals continued to report stable house rents over the month with Canberra and Brisbane higher by 0.9% and 0.7% respectively. Hobart house rents fell by 1.3% with Darwin down sharply by 3.6%.
Sydney continued to report the highest capital city house rents over November and steady again at $800 per week with Hobart still the most affordable and lower again at $589 per week.
Brisbane, Hobart and Perth have recorded solid annual increases in house rents up by 5.5%, 5.1% and 4.1% respectively with Adelaide and Canberra each higher by 2.0% and Darwin up 1.5%. Sydney annual house rents remain steady with Melbourne down 3.3%.
House vacancy rates increased marginally in all capitals over November with the exception of a steady Canberra.
This reflects an easing of the strong demand of the previous month but rates nonetheless remain at very low levels with all below 1.5% and placing upward pressure on rents.
Median Weekly Asking Rents November 2025
HOUSES
| Rent | Month | Year | Vacancy Rate | Change | |
| Sydney | $800 | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.1% | ↑ |
| Melbourne | $580 | 0.0% | -3.3% | 1.4% | ↑ |
| Brisbane | $675 | 0.7% | 5.5% | 0.9% | ↑ |
| Adelaide | $628 | 0.0% | 2.0% | 1.0% | ↑ |
| Perth | $700 | 0.0% | 4.1% | 0.9% | ↑ |
| Hobart | $589 | -1.3% | 5.1% | 0.5% | ↑ |
| Darwin | $738 | -3.6% | 1.5% | 0.8% | ↑ |
| Canberra | $704 | 0.9% | 2.0% | 1.2% | ↔ |
Unit rents surged in most capitals over November indicating generally strong competition continuing for available properties.
- Also read:The Hidden Rental Time Bomb: Why 2026 Could Be Worse | Property Insiders
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Volatile Darwin was the top monthly performer with unit rents rising by 5.2% followed by Perth higher by 3.5%, Sydney and Brisbane each up 2.3%, Adelaide higher by 1.9%, Canberra up 0.9% and Melbourne rising 0.8%. Hobart unit rents however fell by 1.3% over the month.
Annual unit rents have increased in all capitals with Adelaide, Darwin, Brisbane and Perth highest, and up by 11.1%, 10.0%, 6.8% and 6.7% respectively.
Sydney remains the clear leader for weekly unit rents higher at $768, with Hobart still the most affordable and lower at $463 per week.
Similar to houses, capital city unit vacancy rates were mostly marginally higher over the month with most remaining low with the exception of Melbourne and Canberra that nonetheless reported monthly rent increases.
Median Weekly Asking Rents November 2025
UNITS
| Rent | Month | Year | Vacancy Rate | Change | |
| Sydney | $768 | 2.3% | 3.7% | 1.1% | ↔ |
| Melbourne | $595 | 0.8% | 5.3% | 2.2% | ↑ |
| Brisbane | $665 | 2.3% | 6.8% | 1.2% | ↔ |
| Adelaide | $550 | 1.9% | 11.1% | 0.7% | ↓ |
| Perth | $673 | 3.5% | 6.7% | 0.8% | ↑ |
| Hobart | $463 | -1.3% | 3.6% | 0.9% | ↑ |
| Darwin | $631 | 5.2% | 10.0% | 1.4% | ↑ |
| Canberra | $585 | 0.9% | 1.7% | 2.4% | ↑ |
Capital city rental markets generally reported marginally easing conditions over November with higher vacancy rates, however rates remain definitively low for both houses and units, with higher rents a continuing prospect as clearly reported by units over the month.
