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A PRACTICAL GUIDE
A common starting point is to keep rent at or below 30% of your income. On $1,600 a week after tax, that is $480 a week. The right share for you depends on your other commitments, so use the calculator above to test 25% to 50% and see where your budget sits against real city rents.
Australian housing research commonly describes lower-income households (the bottom 40% by income) that spend more than 30% of their gross income on housing as being in housing stress. It is a benchmark for comparing households, not a personal budgeting rule, and many renters in the big cities pay more than 30%.
The housing-stress benchmark is usually measured against gross, before-tax income. This calculator uses your after-tax income, because that is the money rent is paid from. Thirty per cent of after-tax pay is therefore a stricter budget than 30% of your salary before tax.
Choose 2 to 4 people to model a shared home. The calculator gives each person the same share of their income and adds the shares together, so it assumes similar incomes. If incomes differ, run it once per person and add the results.
Moving in usually means a bond (commonly up to four weeks’ rent, set by state rules) and rent paid in advance, plus utilities, internet, contents insurance and removal costs. Leave room for these before settling on a weekly figure.
The weekly after-tax income at which the typical asking rent is 30% of income. For example, a Sydney unit asking $754 a week is 30% of $2,520 a week, or about $131,040 a year after tax.
| City | House rent | Income for 30% | Unit rent | Income for 30% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | $1,148/wk | $3,830/wk | $754/wk | $2,520/wk |
| Melbourne | $827/wk | $2,760/wk | $597/wk | $1,990/wk |
| Brisbane | $839/wk | $2,800/wk | $648/wk | $2,160/wk |
| Perth | $892/wk | $2,980/wk | $669/wk | $2,230/wk |
| Adelaide | $695/wk | $2,320/wk | $553/wk | $1,850/wk |
| Canberra | $800/wk | $2,670/wk | $596/wk | $1,990/wk |
| Hobart | $616/wk | $2,060/wk | $544/wk | $1,820/wk |
| Darwin | $813/wk | $2,710/wk | $666/wk | $2,220/wk |
SQM Research city-region asking rents, week ending 22 Sep 2026. Income is rent ÷ 0.3, rounded up to the next $10. Asking rents are advertised prices, and a city figure hides large differences between suburbs: see rent prices by city or a city’s council rankings.
Not automatically. Thirty per cent is a guide. Whether a higher share works depends on your other costs, debts and savings goals. The calculator shows how a city’s typical rent compares with your income, so you can see how far above or below the guide it sits.
No. If you receive an eligible payment you may also receive Rent Assistance, which would increase what you can pay. Check your eligibility and rates with Services Australia, then add the fortnightly amount (halved for a weekly figure) to your income.
City figures are averages across a whole region and all house or unit types. A rent for a particular suburb, size or condition can be well above or below it. Search a suburb or postcode to see its own asking rents.