• Imagine this: you’re working full-time, doing everything right — but each year, your rent creeps higher.

• Pay rises? Barely noticeable.

• This is not just one person’s story — it’s a growing reality across Australia.

• Our data story explores this imbalance between rent and wages, and what it means for everyday life.

• Rents have been going up in Australia for a number of years now.

• Lots of families are now spending a greater amount of their earnings on housing.

• Are the wages rising as much as this increase in living costs?

• We examine the changes in rent and check if income rises enough to stay on top of the increase.

It’s important to figure out the reality behind changes in rent and wages, we depended on the most relied-on data in Australia

• We reviewed rent prices obtained from the ABS — and saw how high they have gone in only 12 months.

• We then found out how much people were making each week in every state.

• By linking cities with their state, we would be able to check how much people make versus the rent they must pay.

• Finally, we asked: Is rent growing faster than wages?

We understood the issues when we represented the numbers in a visual manner.

• In March 2025, a sharp rise in rent prices was seen in Perth and Brisbane.

• In most cities, growth exceeded 6% in year.

• Such surges can cause major financial problems for families.

• There are cities that seem to be more stressed than others.

• An increase in annual rents is more than 5% in several cities, and Perth is approaching 9% of higher rent costs.

• Quarterly increases also show strong ongoing growth in most areas.

• Still, wages have not risen as quickly as costs, so many people are suffering from falling behind.

• After that, it becomes possible to assess Rent Pressure.

• Rising rent is not the only issue, the Real Burden depends on how much people earn.

• We used Rent Pressure to show the amount of rent growth in each state when compared to the average weekly wages there.

• This lets us understand how much harder it is becoming for people to afford rent — especially in lower-income regions.

• In the next slide, will share details of the cities that are suffering the more rent pressure.

• The effects are not the same for all cities.

• In a few regions, where rents are less expensive, tenants may still feel high pressure on rents since they get lower wages.

• In Sydney and Melbourne, a large number of renters are affected by the steep rise in rent prices.

• Meet Sarah, a full-time nurse in Adelaide, where her rent has surged by over 7% this year—yet her wages remain the same, leaving little to save after covering essentials like bills and groceries.

• And Sarah’s story isn’t unique. Across Australia, millions feel the squeeze.

• Data like this helps us see the problem clearly — but it’s not just about numbers, it’s about people. Because in the end, rent shouldn’t steal your future.

• Government support like rental assistance and wage policy reviews can ease the pressure and more affordable housing could help people like Sarah breathe easier.

• Indexing rents to wage growth could create more fairness for working families.

• The rent crisis in Australia isn’t just a statistic — it’s a lived reality for millions.

• When rent rises faster than wages, people fall behind — no matter how hard they work.

• Data gives us clarity. But stories like Sarah’s remind us why it matters.

• As we move forward, housing must be treated not just as a market — but as a human right.

Thank you for viewing.

Sources: Australian Bureau of Statistics (2025), CPI March Quarter; ABS (2024), Weekly Earnings May. Visuals created using R and ggplot2.