Rent vs buy · October 2026
Rent or buy in Canberra:the weekly numbers
Unit: $68 a week more to buy than to rent. House: $408 more.
The median Canberra house is worth $1,006,269 and the median unit $582,245, 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
- $774 a week
- House repayment
- $1,182 a week
- Cash to buy
- $235,613
- Rate used
- 6.57%
House and unit
Weekly figures; interest is the first-year average.
| House | Unit | |
|---|---|---|
| Median value | $1,006,269 | $582,245 |
| Change over the year | down 1.5% | down 2.1% |
| Rent a week | $774 | $616 |
| Repayment a week | $1,182 | $684 |
| Of which interest | $1,012 | $585 |
| Deposit (20%) | $201,254 | $116,449 |
| Stamp duty | $34,359 | $11,961 |
| First-home stamp duty | $0 | $0 |
| Salary to borrow it, single | $160,000 | $100,000 |
| Salary to borrow it, couple | $162,000 | $100,000 |
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 Canberra.
$1,012 interest, a cost like rent$170 pays down the loan
$585 interest, a cost like rent$99 pays down the loan
If you compare like with like
Set rent against the interest, $1,012 a week on the median house. The other $170 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, Canberra houses went down 1.5%. Each 1% on the median house is $10,063.
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 | $684 | $68 more | $116,449 | None |
| 10% deposit | $807 | $191 more | $58,225 | $9,694 |
| 5% deposit | $916 | $300 more | $29,112 | $24,891 |
| 5%, Deposit Scheme | $876 | $260 more | $29,112 | None |
Median house
| Deposit | Repayment a week | Against rent | Cash up front | LMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20% deposit | $1,182 | $408 more | $201,254 | None |
| 10% deposit | $1,398 | $624 more | $100,627 | $18,430 |
| 5% deposit | $1,589 | $815 more | $50,313 | $47,320 |
The median house is above the $1,000,000 5% Deposit Scheme cap for Canberra, 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 Canberra?
Buying the median Canberra house costs $408 a week more than renting it. Rent on the median house ($1,006,269) is about $774 a week; the repayment on 80% of the price at 6.57% over 30 years is $1,182, of which $1,012 is interest in the first year. The rest of the repayment reduces the loan.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy a unit in Canberra?
Buying the median Canberra unit costs $68 a week more than renting it. Rent on the median unit ($582,245) is about $616 a week; the repayment is $684, of which $585 is interest in the first year.
What salary do I need to buy the median house in Canberra?
About $160,000 for a single applicant, or $162,000 combined for a couple with no children, to borrow the $805,015 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 $100,000 single or $100,000 as a couple.
How much is stamp duty on the median Canberra house?
About $34,359 on $1,006,269 for an owner-occupier, or $0 for a first-home buyer. On the median unit it is $11,961, or $0 for a first-home buyer. 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 ACT scale. General information only, not advice about your circumstances. If a figure here looks wrong, tell us at hello@arthr.com.au.
Buying in Canberra?
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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Arthr Pty Ltd provides marketing and lead-generation services only; credit assistance is provided by 1st Street Pty Ltd, Credit Representative 490057 under Australian Credit Licence 389328.