Average House Prices in Australia

The typical Australian house is detached and has a garden. Apartments and row houses are commoner near the centres of cities but detached houses still predominate in most areas.

When you take wages into account, Australia’s house prices are high compared with most other countries. This is likely to result from the desirable lifestyle and climate Australia offers.

Other English speaking parts of the world where house prices are high compared to wages include California, USA; British Columbia, Canada; and New Zealand. Each of these enjoys a mild climate for most of the year, with little snow.

House prices in most Australian cities have been relatively stable for some months now.

Australian Cities
Average House Prices
September 2010
City Average House Price 12 Month Change
Sydney, NSW $582,000 + 2.3 %
Melbourne, Vic $499,000 + 2.5 %
Brisbane, Qld $460,000 + 6.7 %
Adelaide, SA $400,000 - 5.2 %
Perth, WA $495,000 - 2.8 %
Graph of Average House Prices
($ thousands)
in Australia’s Major Cities
2004 - 2010

Australian Cities
Average Unit Prices
September 2010
(‘Units’ in Australia are usually apartments)
City Average Unit Price 12 Month Change
Sydney, NSW $450,000 - 1.5 %
Melbourne, Vic $425,000 + 6.8 %
Brisbane, Qld $375,000 + 10.0 %
Adelaide, SA $325,000 - 7.0 %
Perth, WA $412,500 - 11.6 %
Prices courtesy of RP Data.