Rent vs buy · October 2026
Rent or buy in Hobart:the weekly numbers
Unit: $149 a week more to buy than to rent. House: $274 more.
The median Hobart house is worth $790,406 and the median unit $591,795, 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
- $654 a week
- House repayment
- $928 a week
- Cash to buy
- $188,834
- Rate used
- 6.57%
House and unit
Weekly figures; interest is the first-year average.
| House | Unit | |
|---|---|---|
| Median value | $790,406 | $591,795 |
| Change over the year | up 7% | up 6.7% |
| Rent a week | $654 | $546 |
| Repayment a week | $928 | $695 |
| Of which interest | $795 | $595 |
| Deposit (20%) | $158,081 | $118,359 |
| Stamp duty | $30,753 | $22,149 |
| First-home stamp duty | $30,753 | $11,074 |
| Salary to borrow it, single | $130,000 | $100,000 |
| 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.
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Reading the gap
Leave it blank to compare with the median rent in Hobart.
$795 interest, a cost like rent$133 pays down the loan
$595 interest, a cost like rent$100 pays down the loan
If you compare like with like
Set rent against the interest, $795 a week on the median house. The other $133 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 $700,000 price cap here.
If prices keep moving
Over the year to September, Hobart houses went up 7%. Each 1% on the median house is $7,904.
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 | $695 | $149 more | $129,433 | None |
| 10% deposit | $821 | $275 more | $70,254 | $9,853 |
| 5% deposit | $921 | $375 more | $40,664 | $19,115 |
| 5%, Deposit Scheme | $891 | $345 more | $40,664 | None |
Median house
| Deposit | Repayment a week | Against rent | Cash up front | LMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20% deposit | $928 | $274 more | $188,834 | None |
| 10% deposit | $1,096 | $442 more | $109,794 | $13,160 |
| 5% deposit | $1,248 | $594 more | $70,273 | $37,169 |
The median house is above the $700,000 5% Deposit Scheme cap for Hobart, 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 Hobart?
Buying the median Hobart house costs $274 a week more than renting it. Rent on the median house ($790,406) is about $654 a week; the repayment on 80% of the price at 6.57% over 30 years is $928, of which $795 is interest in the first year. The rest of the repayment reduces the loan.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy a unit in Hobart?
Buying the median Hobart unit costs $149 a week more than renting it. Rent on the median unit ($591,795) is about $546 a week; the repayment is $695, of which $595 is interest in the first year.
What salary do I need to buy the median house in Hobart?
About $130,000 for a single applicant, or $134,000 combined for a couple with no children, to borrow the $632,325 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 Hobart house?
About $30,753 on $790,406 for an owner-occupier, and first-home concessions don't reach that price. On the median unit it is $22,149, or $11,074 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 TAS scale. General information only, not advice about your circumstances. If a figure here looks wrong, tell us at hello@arthr.com.au.
Buying in Hobart?
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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