Trapped: How Australia’s Housing Crisis is Swallowing Household Budgets

Chart 1 — The Long Climb: 25 Years of Rising Housing Costs

For Australians renting or paying off a mortgage, housing costs have risen sharply over the past two decades.

Hover over the chart to see exact values. Data adjusted for inflation (2019–20 dollars).

Chart 2 — The Widening Gap: Housing Inflation vs Wage Growth

While wages have grown modestly, housing costs have surged at more than double that rate — leaving Australians with less to spend elsewhere.

Hover to see exact values. WPI is quarterly; Housing and All CPI are monthly.

Chart 3 — Who Gets Hit Hardest? Housing Stress by Income Group

Not all Australians feel the housing crisis equally. For those on the lowest incomes, housing costs consume nearly half of their household budget.

Housing stress is defined as spending more than 30% of income on housing costs. Hover to see exact values.

Chart 4 — The City Divide: Where Housing Costs Are Rising Fastest

Australia’s housing crisis is not felt equally across cities. Some capitals have seen housing costs surge well above the national average.

Index rebased to April 2024 = 100. Values above 100 indicate cost increases since that date. Hover to compare cities.

Chart 5 — The Closing Trap: A Growing Burden for Those Who Can Least Afford It

For Australia’s lowest-income households, the share of income swallowed by housing has crept steadily toward the 30% crisis threshold — while the wealthiest Australians are barely affected.