PropertyScout Research · Government Data Study
Australia's Most Rent-Affordable Suburbs (2026)
Our finding: rent is most affordable in Cobar, NSW, where the median rent is just 14.5% of local household income.
The flip side of rental stress: suburbs where median rent claims the smallest slice of local household income. These are often higher-income mining and resource towns where renting leaves the most of a household budget intact. The ratio is annual median rent divided by median household income — lower is more affordable.
| # |
Suburb |
Rent-to-Income Ratio |
Median Weekly Rent |
Median Household Income |
Renter Share |
| 1 |
Cobar
NSW
|
14.5% |
$263/wk |
$94,432 |
51.4% |
| 2 |
Googong
NSW
|
16.3% |
$550/wk |
$175,292 |
59.4% |
| 3 |
Riverview
NSW
|
16.4% |
$775/wk |
$246,012 |
14.9% |
| 4 |
Murrumbateman
NSW
|
16.4% |
$550/wk |
$174,096 |
18.4% |
| 5 |
Northbridge
NSW
|
19.1% |
$740/wk |
$201,448 |
29.0% |
| 6 |
Colebee
NSW
|
19.9% |
$640/wk |
$167,596 |
68.4% |
| 7 |
Gladesville
NSW
|
19.9% |
$450/wk |
$117,364 |
60.0% |
| 8 |
Ivanhoe East
VIC
|
20.2% |
$600/wk |
$154,804 |
30.4% |
| 9 |
Elliminyt
VIC
|
20.2% |
$366/wk |
$94,380 |
18.3% |
| 10 |
West Ryde
NSW
|
20.2% |
$400/wk |
$103,116 |
62.5% |
| 11 |
Irymple
VIC
|
20.5% |
$329/wk |
$83,512 |
31.5% |
| 12 |
Pennant Hills
NSW
|
20.6% |
$500/wk |
$126,516 |
38.0% |
| 13 |
Burraneer
NSW
|
20.6% |
$720/wk |
$181,480 |
18.1% |
| 14 |
Brown Hill
VIC
|
20.8% |
$366/wk |
$91,364 |
45.5% |
| 15 |
Yallambie
VIC
|
20.9% |
$484/wk |
$120,640 |
43.6% |
| 16 |
Lane Cove
NSW
|
21.0% |
$533/wk |
$132,028 |
58.1% |
| 17 |
Mount Helen
VIC
|
21.0% |
$436/wk |
$107,952 |
31.6% |
| 18 |
Crows Nest
NSW
|
21.0% |
$550/wk |
$135,928 |
72.9% |
| 19 |
Ermington
NSW
|
21.1% |
$420/wk |
$103,636 |
66.1% |
| 20 |
Warranwood
VIC
|
21.1% |
$602/wk |
$148,304 |
20.2% |
| 21 |
Seven Hills
NSW
|
21.1% |
$400/wk |
$98,384 |
56.2% |
| 22 |
Balgowlah Heights
NSW
|
21.2% |
$993/wk |
$243,724 |
15.0% |
| 23 |
Baranduda
VIC
|
21.5% |
$449/wk |
$108,680 |
34.5% |
| 24 |
Drummoyne
NSW
|
21.6% |
$600/wk |
$144,352 |
51.6% |
| 25 |
Maiden Gully
VIC
|
21.7% |
$480/wk |
$114,868 |
16.7% |
| 26 |
Moree
NSW
|
21.8% |
$343/wk |
$81,900 |
55.0% |
| 27 |
North Ryde
NSW
|
21.8% |
$520/wk |
$123,916 |
56.4% |
| 28 |
Castle Hill
NSW
|
22.0% |
$560/wk |
$132,652 |
39.6% |
| 29 |
Birchgrove
NSW
|
22.1% |
$798/wk |
$187,356 |
39.6% |
| 30 |
Highton
VIC
|
22.2% |
$455/wk |
$106,808 |
35.7% |
| 31 |
Pitt Town
NSW
|
22.2% |
$600/wk |
$140,764 |
21.4% |
| 32 |
Narre Warren North
VIC
|
22.2% |
$584/wk |
$136,968 |
8.8% |
| 33 |
Manor Lakes
VIC
|
22.3% |
$513/wk |
$119,392 |
77.0% |
| 34 |
Lysterfield
VIC
|
22.5% |
$619/wk |
$143,208 |
16.4% |
| 35 |
Glen Alpine
NSW
|
22.5% |
$600/wk |
$138,788 |
16.3% |
| 36 |
Eaglemont
VIC
|
22.5% |
$645/wk |
$149,032 |
28.9% |
| 37 |
Botanic Ridge
VIC
|
22.5% |
$575/wk |
$132,704 |
42.1% |
| 38 |
Hornsby
NSW
|
22.5% |
$440/wk |
$101,504 |
65.3% |
| 39 |
Strathfieldsaye
VIC
|
22.6% |
$505/wk |
$116,324 |
27.3% |
| 40 |
Alphington
VIC
|
22.6% |
$550/wk |
$126,308 |
51.1% |
| 41 |
Koo Wee Rup
VIC
|
22.7% |
$404/wk |
$92,664 |
40.7% |
| 42 |
Moorebank
NSW
|
22.7% |
$500/wk |
$114,452 |
45.1% |
| 43 |
Bella Vista
NSW
|
22.7% |
$800/wk |
$182,936 |
25.8% |
| 44 |
Tatura
VIC
|
22.8% |
$310/wk |
$70,564 |
33.8% |
| 45 |
North Parramatta
NSW
|
22.9% |
$390/wk |
$88,556 |
76.3% |
| 46 |
North Lambton
NSW
|
22.9% |
$385/wk |
$87,256 |
58.5% |
| 47 |
Miners Rest
VIC
|
22.9% |
$455/wk |
$103,116 |
41.6% |
| 48 |
Kingsville
VIC
|
23.1% |
$506/wk |
$114,140 |
64.6% |
| 49 |
Caddens
NSW
|
23.1% |
$598/wk |
$134,784 |
63.8% |
| 50 |
Sutherland
NSW
|
23.1% |
$450/wk |
$101,348 |
65.5% |
📎 Cite this research
Journalists and writers are welcome to reference these rankings. Please attribute to
PropertyScout AU with a link to this page.
Source: PropertyScout AU — Most Rent-Affordable Suburbs Australia 2026 (https://propertyscoutau.com.au/studies/most-rent-affordable-suburbs-australia-2026)
Methodology & sources
Source: Australian government public data (state Valuer-General / land offices, ABS Census, official rental & crime statistics). Compiled by PropertyScout AU. Rankings cover 50 suburbs and exclude records flagged as anomalous, stale (pre-2022) or based on very small samples (population under 3,000). Figures are indicative and reflect the most recent published data per suburb. Not financial advice — always do your own due diligence.
❓ FAQs
How is the Most Rent-Affordable Suburbs Australia 2026 list compiled?
We rank suburbs directly from Australian government public data — state Valuer-General and land-office medians, ABS Census demographics, and official rental and crime statistics — applying quality filters to exclude anomalous or stale records.
How often is this updated?
The rankings regenerate automatically from our government data pipeline. Figures reflect the most recent published data for each suburb and can change as new data is released.
Can I use this data?
Yes — you're welcome to cite these rankings with attribution to PropertyScout AU (propertyscoutau.com.au). The underlying figures are public government data.
More PropertyScout research