14/03/2026
Melbourne's CBD is one of just four areas in Australian capital cities where mortgage repayments for a unit are cheaper than rent, according to a new analysis comparing mortgage repayments on median property prices with median rents.
Cotality's March housing report found it costs $322 a fortnight less to service a mortgage on a unit in inner-city Melbourne than to rent one.
Gerard Burg, head of research at Cotality, told SBS News increased unit supply, combined with interest rate cuts, has reduced mortgage costs, while a low rental vacancy rate in Melbourne's CBD has put "upward pressure" on rents.
For houses, no capital city areas were cheaper to buy than rent, though the smallest differences appeared in Darwin, Hobart and the fringes of Adelaide and Perth.
Learn more: https://bit.ly/4rp1aoB
