The number of relatively affordable rental properties across the country has dropped dramatically over the past few years as tenants battle skyrocketing costs and fierce competition.
But new data shows there are still some affordable properties available if tenants know where to look and are ready to travel.
In February, less than 17% of all rental listings were homes priced at $400 or less per week, according to new data from . realestate.com.au.
This is down significantly from 43% in February 2020.
Share of all rental properties under $400 per week
| region | housing | unit | all residences |
| Australian Capital Territory | 0.91% | 2.46% | 1.88% |
| Greater Adelaide | 9.93% | 34.41% | 18.40% |
| Greater Brisbane | 9.89% | 17.96% | 13.18% |
| Greater Darwin | 2.64% | 13.39% | 8.86% |
| Greater Hobart | 6.52% | 21.70% | 12.22% |
| Greater Melbourne | 15.61% | 23.71% | 20.11% |
| Greater Perth | 6.79% | 27.04% | 15.53% |
| Greater Sydney | 4.94% | 9.67% | 8.11% |
| capital | 9.56% | 16.74% | 13.52% |
| local area | 19.32% | 38.74% | 26.03% |
| Nationwide | 12.86% | 20.94% | 16.88% |
Capital cities have the fewest listings and the most affordable market is the country’s capital, Canberra, where less than 2% of available rentals are below $400 per week.
Hobart and Sydney also have low inventory of affordable rentals, with less than 10% of rentals under $400 per week in both cities.
There is a bit of good news for renters in Adelaide and Melbourne, which are relatively affordable at 18.4% and 20.11% of rent respectively.
![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 800 450"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Melbourne has the highest percentage of rents under $400 a week in the capital.Source: Getty Images
Areas with the most affordable housing
Rents looking for a home in Melbourne can make more money if they look further west.
As of February, 30% of properties in the Melbourne – West area, including suburbs such as Tarneit and Hoppers Crossing, are under $400 a week.
Areas to avoid are the Melbourne-Inner South region, with the suburbs of Brighton and Caulfield, which has only 1.8% of affordable housing available.
For renters in other capital cities, the Adelaide-North (Adelaide), Ipswich (Brisbane) and Mandurah (Perth) areas can find more affordable homes than the rest of the city.
Top 20 Capital SA4 Regions With Highest Share Of Home Rentals Under $400/week
| rank | SA4 region | housing |
| 1 | Melbourne – West | 30.1% |
| 2 | Adelaide – North | 18.3% |
| 3 | Ipswich | 17.3% |
| Four | Melbourne – Northwest | 16.0% |
| Five | Logan – Beaudesert | 14.6% |
| 6 | Melbourne – South East | 13.9% |
| 7 | Melbourne – Northeast | 13.8% |
| 8 | mornington peninsula | 12.4% |
| 9 | Moreton Bay – North | 11.9% |
| Ten | mandurah | 9.7% |
| 11 | Perth – Northeast | 9.7% |
| 12 | sydney – blacktown | 9.6% |
| 14 | Sydney – Outer West and Blue Mountains | 9.0% |
| 15 | Brisbane Inner City | 8.9% |
| 16 | Adelaide – South | 7.9% |
| 17 | Sydney – Outer South West | 7.7% |
| 18 | Perth – Northwest | 7.6% |
| 19 | Perth – South East | 7.5% |
| 20 | Sydney – South West | 7.5% |
Regions with the highest share of rental properties under $400 per week
Units under $400 a week are easy to find, and while there are still plenty of options in the capital, renters will find less than this time last year.
The region with the highest proportion of affordable units is Logan-Beaudesert, south of Brisbane, with 56% of the listings for units under $400 last month.
The farther away from the center of the capital, the cheaper the property.
Sydneysiders will need to venture out into the Sydney – Outer South West, Bankstown and Campbelltown neighborhoods to find more affordable units.
| rank | SA4 region | unit |
| 1 | Logan – Beaudesert | 56.6% |
| 2 | Sydney – Outer South West | 46.9% |
| 3 | Adelaide – North | 46.0% |
| Four | Melbourne – West | 45.4% |
| Five | Sydney – South West | 45.4% |
| 6 | Adelaide – West | 44.9% |
| 7 | Perth – Northwest | 44.2% |
| 8 | Ipswich | 42.0% |
| 9 | Perth – Northeast | 41.1% |
| Ten | Adelaide – South | 37.8% |
| 11 | Melbourne – Northeast | 37.2% |
| 12 | Sydney – Outer West and Blue Mountains | 36.9% |
| 13 | Moreton Bay – North | 34.1% |
| 14 | mandurah | 32.8% |
| 15 | mornington peninsula | 32.6% |
| 16 | Melbourne – Northwest | 31.4% |
| 17 | Melbourne – South East | 30.4% |
| 18 | Brisbane – East | 26.8% |
| 19 | Adelaide – Central and Hills | 25.7% |
| 20 | Perth – Southwest | 24.9% |
Another option if $400 a week is still too much is sharing a home.
average price of flatmates.com.au A room in a share house in Glenwood, Sydney is $200 and we are looking for all rooms available for 9 people.
More Real Estate Market Insights
With little supply, high demand and rising prices, tenants across the country will continue to face difficulties finding affordable housing.
But if renters are ready to look further afield or even consider living in a share house, there are affordable options.