The IPN Regional Rent Index analyses the short-term fluctuations in house rental markets across regions in NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA, and TAS, excluding capital city areas.
Published quarterly, the data is derived from advertised rentals and is calculated over a rolling 12-month sample period. Metrics include median rents for both houses and units, all aggregated by the ABS standard known as Statistical Area 3 (SA3).
Regional Rent Index Report Highlights
Housing market
In the housing market, rents increased in nearly all capitals, led by Brisbane (+1.6%), Perth (+1.5%), and Sydney (+1.3%). However, regional markets saw stronger uplifts, particularly in South Australia (+5.0%), Western Australia (+3.3%), and Queensland (+3.2%), reflecting acute supply shortages in key lifestyle and employment hubs. Regional Victoria (+2.1%) also outperformed its capital, while NSW and Tasmania recorded no change in regional house rents. WA’s Esperance identified the greatest 3 month change at +11.1%, closely followed by Lower Murray in NSW at +10.5%. WA’s Gascoyne region rounded out the top three at +8.7%.
Unit market
For units, the picture was more varied. Capital cities showed broad increases, with Adelaide (+4.0%), Perth (+3.3%), and Hobart (+2.2%) seeing the strongest growth. By contrast, regional unit markets were flatter, with NSW, Victoria, and Queensland remaining unchanged, while South Australia declined by 1.7%. Only regional WA (+1.8%) and Tasmania (+2.6%) showed growth. Breaking it down by each region, QLD’s Bowen Basin – North and VIC’s Loddon – Elmore both identified the largest increases at +11.1%, followed by QLD’s Gold Coast Hinterland at +9.8%.