Invest
Australian house prices soar 500% in 25 years
Australian house prices have surged by as much as 500 per cent in the past 25 years, according to fresh data from REIA.
Australian house prices soar 500% in 25 years
Australian house prices have surged by as much as 500 per cent in the past 25 years, according to fresh data from REIA.
The median house price has surged from $160,000 in 1996 to $825,000 in 2020, an increase of 500 per cent in 25 years, the Real Estate Institute of Australia (REIA) has revealed.
As for other dwelling types, including units and apartments, capital values have increased by just over 400 per cent over the past decade and a half, REIA’s latest Real Estate Market Facts has shown.
This difference in growth is, however, slightly offset by the fact that units and apartments do produce higher yields.
In fact, over the 25-year period, Australian housing yields tightened from 5.1 per cent to 2.9 per cent, while other dwellings have recorded a slight drop in yields from 5.2 per cent to 3.7 per cent.
Looking at the individual capital cities, houses in Darwin recorded the highest return, averaging 4.2 per cent.
“In 1996, housing investments in Darwin were yielding 6.4 per cent. Melbourne and Sydney have always had the lowest yields, both falling from around 4 per cent in 1996 to just 1.8 per cent in 2020,” REIA president Adrian Kelly said.
“The pandemic saw Melbourne and Sydney experience rising vacancies, with Melbourne now the highest in Australia at 5 per cent while Sydney is currently at 3.7 per cent,” he added.
According to Mr Kelly, it is these losses that have led to a decline in investor activity, but the situation is on the upswing as demand continues to lift.
“Despite rising vacancies and the low yields, we are starting to see investors reemerge as they respond to a rising market with further growth expectations and low borrowing costs,” he added.
As such, in the December quarter 2020, the weighted average capital city median price for houses increased by 6.0 per cent, while other dwellings added 0.9 per cent.
This took Sydney’s median house price to the top of the pile at $1,211,488 or 46.8 per cent higher than the national average. At $490,000, Perth has the lowest median house price across Australian capital cities, 40.6 per cent lower than the national average.
Having also analysed the last five years, REIA put the overall house price growth at 25 per cent, while other dwellings rose by 10 per cent to $600,000 since 2015.
RELATED ARTICLES
Property
Twice the demand: the case study behind Melbourne’s first‑home buyer surge
Melbourne has quietly engineered one of Australia’s most consequential housing turnarounds, with first‑home buyer demand running at roughly double the national pace and four of the top five buyer ...Read more
Property
First‑home buyers now anchor Australia’s mortgage growth — but the risk maths is changing
Great Southern Bank’s revelation that nearly one in three of its new mortgages went to first‑home buyers is not an outlier. It is the leading edge of a broader market realignment powered by government ...Read more
Property
Home guarantee scheme shake-up challenges Australia’s housing market players
From 1 October 2025, the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS) materially widens what first-home buyers can purchase and where. By sharply lifting price caps and relaxing eligibility settings, the ...Read more
Property
GSB’s first‑home buyer play: turning policy tailwinds into market share
Great Southern Bank’s latest results show that nearly one in three of its new mortgages now go to first‑home buyers—evidence of a fast‑moving market reshaped by government guarantees, easing rates and ...Read more
Property
Why investors are fleeing and renters are scrambling in Australia's housing maze
Australia’s rental market is tightening even as individual landlords sell down. New data points to a multi‑year investor retreat tied to higher holding costs and regulatory uncertainty, while prices ...Read more
Property
Australia's 5% deposit guarantee: Unlocking gains while balancing risks in the market share race
Can a bigger government guarantee fix housing access without fuelling prices? Australia is about to find out. The Albanese government’s expanded 5% deposit pathway aims to help 70,000 buyers, remove ...Read more
Property
Australia's bold move the 5% deposit scheme shaking up the housing market
Can a government guarantee replace lenders mortgage insurance without inflating prices or risk? Canberra’s accelerated 5% deposit scheme is a bold demand-side nudge in a supply‑constrained marketRead more
Property
When rates drop but stress sticks: exploring Australia's mortgage arrears dilemma
Headline numbers suggest arrears ease as rates come down. The reality in Australia is messier: broad measures dipped into mid‑2025, yet severe delinquencies and non‑bank portfolios remain under ...Read more
Property
Twice the demand: the case study behind Melbourne’s first‑home buyer surge
Melbourne has quietly engineered one of Australia’s most consequential housing turnarounds, with first‑home buyer demand running at roughly double the national pace and four of the top five buyer ...Read more
Property
First‑home buyers now anchor Australia’s mortgage growth — but the risk maths is changing
Great Southern Bank’s revelation that nearly one in three of its new mortgages went to first‑home buyers is not an outlier. It is the leading edge of a broader market realignment powered by government ...Read more
Property
Home guarantee scheme shake-up challenges Australia’s housing market players
From 1 October 2025, the expanded Home Guarantee Scheme (HGS) materially widens what first-home buyers can purchase and where. By sharply lifting price caps and relaxing eligibility settings, the ...Read more
Property
GSB’s first‑home buyer play: turning policy tailwinds into market share
Great Southern Bank’s latest results show that nearly one in three of its new mortgages now go to first‑home buyers—evidence of a fast‑moving market reshaped by government guarantees, easing rates and ...Read more
Property
Why investors are fleeing and renters are scrambling in Australia's housing maze
Australia’s rental market is tightening even as individual landlords sell down. New data points to a multi‑year investor retreat tied to higher holding costs and regulatory uncertainty, while prices ...Read more
Property
Australia's 5% deposit guarantee: Unlocking gains while balancing risks in the market share race
Can a bigger government guarantee fix housing access without fuelling prices? Australia is about to find out. The Albanese government’s expanded 5% deposit pathway aims to help 70,000 buyers, remove ...Read more
Property
Australia's bold move the 5% deposit scheme shaking up the housing market
Can a government guarantee replace lenders mortgage insurance without inflating prices or risk? Canberra’s accelerated 5% deposit scheme is a bold demand-side nudge in a supply‑constrained marketRead more
Property
When rates drop but stress sticks: exploring Australia's mortgage arrears dilemma
Headline numbers suggest arrears ease as rates come down. The reality in Australia is messier: broad measures dipped into mid‑2025, yet severe delinquencies and non‑bank portfolios remain under ...Read more
