The shocking decline in Australian rental affordability
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Life has gotten significantly more difficult for Australian tenants over the past five years.
According to Cotality, the national median advertised rent soared by 43.8% over the five years to September 2025.

As a result, the percentage of median household income required to meet the median advertised rent rose to a record high of 33.4% in the September quarter:
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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness.
Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.