Rental prices and property value go hand-in-hand. As investors pay more for homes, they have higher repayments to make which are generally accrued through rent payments. With a high demand for rentals still in effect, prices are expected to continue to grow over 2026.
Apartments in particular are set to skyrocket, with the CBRE predicting a 27% rise in unit rental costs by 2030.
The latest rental income figures
According to the January 2026 statistics from Cotality, national rent rates have increased by 5.2% over the last year, higher in rural areas (6.2%). This is a faster increase than we saw in 2024.
This is partly fuelled by the lack of rentals on the market, with an 11% drop in listings from the previous year.
In terms of a dollar amount, the national median rent is now at $681 a week – up more than $200 over the past five years. The five years previous to that saw an increase of just $33.
Sydney is the most expensive capital city ($817/week) while Hobart is the cheapest ($601/week). However, Hobart is catching up with an annual growth of 7.2% second only to the growth seen in Darwin (8.2%). Melbourne saw the smallest growth at just 2.9%.
Because of increased costs, households are now spending 33.4% of their income on rent.
How to get into the investment property market
You can get into the investment property market whether you’re an existing home owner or not. If you’re paying off your home, you can use the equity you’ve built up for your deposit. You can use the rental income from your tenants to make your investment property loan repayments.
If you don’t own a home, you could ‘rentvest’. This is where you buy an investment property and continue renting yourself. It’s an increasingly popular trend, because you can still live in a rental property that may be better than what you can afford to buy. But because you also have an investment property of your own, your tenants are also helping you to pay off an asset. Again, the rental income you get from your tenants will help you to make your loan repayments.
You can find out all about investment property loans here. You can also use our calculator to estimate how much your loan repayments would be.
How Wisebuy can help
If you’re looking to get into the investment property market or to expand your portfolio, our experienced and licensed brokers at Wisebuy can help you get finance. We can also help you with your loan application.
We service a diverse range of clients in the popular Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and Maitland areas. Our brokers work with more than 60 lenders in the Australian market so we can find the best rate and repayments terms for your situation.
Contact us today for an obligation-free chat to find out more.
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