Rent vs buy · October 2026
Rent or buy in Brisbane:the weekly numbers
Unit: $306 a week more to buy than to rent. House: $597 more.
The median Brisbane house is worth $1,146,078 and the median unit $834,627, according to Cotality’s October 2026 index.
With 20% down at 6.57%, the middle rate across the 32 lenders we price, about 86% of a repayment is interest in its first year. The weekly figures are in the bars and tables below.
- House rent
- $749 a week
- House repayment
- $1,346 a week
- Cash to buy
- $268,465
- Rate used
- 6.57%
House and unit
Weekly figures; interest is the first-year average.
| House | Unit | |
|---|---|---|
| Median value | $1,146,078 | $834,627 |
| Change over the year | up 5.3% | up 8.5% |
| Rent a week | $749 | $674 |
| Repayment a week | $1,346 | $980 |
| Of which interest | $1,152 | $839 |
| Deposit (20%) | $229,216 | $166,925 |
| Stamp duty | $39,249 | $23,408 |
| First-home stamp duty | $39,249 | $23,408 |
| Salary to borrow it, single | $183,000 | $130,000 |
| Salary to borrow it, couple | $185,000 | $134,000 |
Salaries are where the middle of ten major lenders’ own servicing calculators reaches the loan, for a borrower with no debts or children (couples on two incomes). What each salary can borrow, lender by lender, is on the borrowing pages.
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Reading the gap
Leave it blank to compare with the median rent in Brisbane.
$1,152 interest, a cost like rent$194 pays down the loan
$839 interest, a cost like rent$141 pays down the loan
If you compare like with like
Set rent against the interest, $1,152 a week on the median house. The other $194 of the repayment pays off a loan you own.
If you have less than 20%
The table below prices the median unit and house at 10% and 5% down, and with the government’s 5% Deposit Scheme, which removes LMI up to a $1,000,000 price cap here.
If prices keep moving
Over the year to September, Brisbane houses went up 5.3%. Each 1% on the median house is $11,461.
If you add an owner’s costs
Council rates, insurance, repairs and strata on a unit aren’t in these figures. A tenant doesn’t pay them.
With a smaller deposit
Weekly repayment and cash up front, for a first-home buyer.
Median unit
| Deposit | Repayment a week | Against rent | Cash up front | LMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20% deposit | $980 | $306 more | $190,333 | None |
| 10% deposit | $1,159 | $485 more | $106,871 | $15,286 |
| 5% deposit | $1,318 | $644 more | $65,139 | $39,248 |
| 5%, Deposit Scheme | $1,256 | $582 more | $65,139 | None |
Median house
| Deposit | Repayment a week | Against rent | Cash up front | LMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20% deposit | $1,346 | $597 more | $268,465 | None |
| 10% deposit | $1,595 | $846 more | $153,857 | $22,899 |
| 5% deposit | $1,795 | $1,046 more | $96,553 | $44,422 |
The median house is above the $1,000,000 5% Deposit Scheme cap for Brisbane, so there is no 5% Deposit Scheme row.
Cash up front is the deposit plus stamp duty for a first-home buyer. Below 20%, the rate adds the median step lenders on our panel charge at that deposit, and LMI (our estimate) is added to the loan. The 5% Deposit Scheme has run since 1 October 2025 with no income cap and no limit on places; a participating lender confirms the cap for the exact suburb.
Other capitals
Median house, rent against repayment.
Questions
Is it cheaper to rent or buy a house in Brisbane?
Buying the median Brisbane house costs $597 a week more than renting it. Rent on the median house ($1,146,078) is about $749 a week; the repayment on 80% of the price at 6.57% over 30 years is $1,346, of which $1,152 is interest in the first year. The rest of the repayment reduces the loan.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy a unit in Brisbane?
Buying the median Brisbane unit costs $306 a week more than renting it. Rent on the median unit ($834,627) is about $674 a week; the repayment is $980, of which $839 is interest in the first year.
What salary do I need to buy the median house in Brisbane?
About $183,000 for a single applicant, or $185,000 combined for a couple with no children, to borrow the $916,862 left after a 20% deposit. That is where the middle of ten major lenders' own servicing calculators reaches the loan, for a borrower with no other debts. For the median unit it is $130,000 single or $134,000 as a couple.
How much is stamp duty on the median Brisbane house?
About $39,249 on $1,146,078 for an owner-occupier, and first-home concessions don't reach that price. On the median unit it is $23,408. These are our estimates from the state's published scales; the revenue office has the final figure.
Prices, yields and annual change from the Cotality Home Value Index, October 2026; weekly rent is value × Cotality’s gross yield ÷ 52, so it can be out by about $15 either way. Updated each month when Cotality publishes. Rate is the panel’s middle comparison rate for an owner-occupier at 80% LVR, priced 30 September 2026. Stamp duty is our estimate from the QLD scale. General information only, not advice about your circumstances. If a figure here looks wrong, tell us at hello@arthr.com.au.
Buying in Brisbane?
A broker at 1st Street can check what you can borrow and the rate you would get, across the whole panel.
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