Rent vs buy · October 2026
Rent or buy in Perth:the weekly numbers
Unit: $125 a week more to buy than to rent. House: $432 more.
The median Perth house is worth $1,017,734 and the median unit $714,265, 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
- $763 a week
- House repayment
- $1,195 a week
- Cash to buy
- $247,076
- Rate used
- 6.57%
House and unit
Weekly figures; interest is the first-year average.
| House | Unit | |
|---|---|---|
| Median value | $1,017,734 | $714,265 |
| Change over the year | up 10% | up 10.5% |
| Rent a week | $763 | $714 |
| Repayment a week | $1,195 | $839 |
| Of which interest | $1,023 | $718 |
| Deposit (20%) | $203,547 | $142,853 |
| Stamp duty | $43,529 | $27,943 |
| First-home stamp duty | $43,529 | $27,943 |
| Salary to borrow it, single | $160,000 | $108,000 |
| Salary to borrow it, couple | $162,000 | $120,000 |
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 Perth.
$1,023 interest, a cost like rent$172 pays down the loan
$718 interest, a cost like rent$121 pays down the loan
If you compare like with like
Set rent against the interest, $1,023 a week on the median house. The other $172 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 $850,000 price cap here.
If prices keep moving
Over the year to September, Perth houses went up 10%. Each 1% on the median house is $10,177.
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 | $839 | $125 more | $170,796 | None |
| 10% deposit | $990 | $276 more | $99,370 | $11,893 |
| 5% deposit | $1,123 | $409 more | $63,656 | $30,535 |
| 5%, Deposit Scheme | $1,075 | $361 more | $63,656 | None |
Median house
| Deposit | Repayment a week | Against rent | Cash up front | LMI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20% deposit | $1,195 | $432 more | $247,076 | None |
| 10% deposit | $1,437 | $674 more | $145,302 | $34,257 |
| 5% deposit | $1,589 | $826 more | $94,416 | $36,160 |
The median house is above the $850,000 5% Deposit Scheme cap for Perth, 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 Perth?
Buying the median Perth house costs $432 a week more than renting it. Rent on the median house ($1,017,734) is about $763 a week; the repayment on 80% of the price at 6.57% over 30 years is $1,195, of which $1,023 is interest in the first year. The rest of the repayment reduces the loan.
Is it cheaper to rent or buy a unit in Perth?
Buying the median Perth unit costs $125 a week more than renting it. Rent on the median unit ($714,265) is about $714 a week; the repayment is $839, of which $718 is interest in the first year.
What salary do I need to buy the median house in Perth?
About $160,000 for a single applicant, or $162,000 combined for a couple with no children, to borrow the $814,187 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 $108,000 single or $120,000 as a couple.
How much is stamp duty on the median Perth house?
About $43,529 on $1,017,734 for an owner-occupier, and first-home concessions don't reach that price. On the median unit it is $27,943. 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 WA scale. General information only, not advice about your circumstances. If a figure here looks wrong, tell us at hello@arthr.com.au.
Buying in Perth?
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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