Rent vs buy · October 2026
Rent or buy in Darwin:the weekly numbers
Unit: $128 a week less to buy than to rent. House: $16 more.
The median Darwin house is worth $747,252 and the median unit $480,748, 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
- $862 a week
- House repayment
- $878 a week
- Cash to buy
- $186,439
- Rate used
- 6.57%
House and unit
Weekly figures; interest is the first-year average.
| House | Unit | |
|---|---|---|
| Median value | $747,252 | $480,748 |
| Change over the year | up 9.6% | up 17% |
| Rent a week | $862 | $693 |
| Repayment a week | $878 | $565 |
| Of which interest | $751 | $483 |
| Deposit (20%) | $149,450 | $96,150 |
| Stamp duty | $36,989 | $22,399 |
| First-home stamp duty | $18,388 | $3,798 |
| Salary to borrow it, single | $130,000 | $75,000 |
| Salary to borrow it, couple | $134,000 | $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.
See what you could borrow in Darwin, and at what rateOpens the chat with this question filled in
Reading the gap
Leave it blank to compare with the median rent in Darwin.
$751 interest, a cost like rent$127 pays down the loan
$483 interest, a cost like rent$82 pays down the loan
If you compare like with like
Set rent against the interest, $751 a week on the median house. The other $127 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 $750,000 price cap here.
If prices keep moving
Over the year to September, Darwin houses went up 9.6%. Each 1% on the median house is $7,473.
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 | $565 | $128 less | $99,948 | None |
| 10% deposit | $667 | $26 less | $51,873 | $8,004 |
| 5% deposit | $756 | $63 more | $27,835 | $20,552 |
| 5%, Deposit Scheme | $724 | $31 more | $27,835 | None |
Median house
| Deposit | Repayment a week | Against rent | Cash up front | LMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20% deposit | $878 | $16 more | $167,838 | None |
| 10% deposit | $1,052 | $190 more | $93,113 | $22,866 |
| 5% deposit | $1,163 | $301 more | $55,751 | $24,136 |
| 5%, Deposit Scheme | $1,125 | $263 more | $55,751 | None |
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 Darwin?
Buying the median Darwin house costs $16 a week more than renting it. Rent on the median house ($747,252) is about $862 a week; the repayment on 80% of the price at 6.57% over 30 years is $878, of which $751 is interest in the first year. The rest of the repayment reduces the loan.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy a unit in Darwin?
Buying the median Darwin unit costs $128 a week less than renting it. Rent on the median unit ($480,748) is about $693 a week; the repayment is $565, of which $483 is interest in the first year.
What salary do I need to buy the median house in Darwin?
About $130,000 for a single applicant, or $134,000 combined for a couple with no children, to borrow the $597,802 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 $75,000 single or $100,000 as a couple.
How much is stamp duty on the median Darwin house?
About $36,989 on $747,252 for an owner-occupier, or $18,388 for a first-home buyer. On the median unit it is $22,399, or $3,798 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 NT scale. General information only, not advice about your circumstances. If a figure here looks wrong, tell us at hello@arthr.com.au.
Buying in Darwin?
A broker at 1st Street can check what you can borrow and the rate you would get, across the whole panel.
Opens the chat with your question filled in. Nothing is sent until you press send.
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.