Essential workers priced out of almost all Australian rental listings

Having a full-time job in an essential service is no longer enough to provide a broad choice of affordable rental homes, according to new Anglicare Australia research reported by the ABC on Thursday.

The analysis tested 48,776 advertised rentals across Australia against the full-time minimum wages applying to 16 essential occupations. Retail workers, social workers and cleaners could afford fewer than 1 per cent of the properties examined.

Nurses could afford 1.1 per cent of listings, while teachers could afford 3.3 per cent. Of the 16 occupations assessed, only three recorded an improvement in affordability compared with 2025. Conditions for the remaining occupations either deteriorated or remained unchanged.

The results show that rental affordability is not simply a problem for people receiving income support. It now affects workers employed in healthcare, education, hospitality, cleaning, retail and community services — jobs needed in almost every Australian suburb and regional centre.

How affordability was measured

Anglicare’s Rental Affordability Snapshot generally treats rent as affordable when it consumes no more than 30 per cent of household income. Properties must also be suitable for the household being assessed, rather than merely falling under a price ceiling.

That approach is important because a cheap room, studio or one-bedroom apartment will not necessarily meet the needs of a family. It also means the snapshot measures access to homes that workers could rent without immediately entering housing stress.

The national figures can hide even tighter local conditions. The ABC reported that there were no affordable listings for a hospitality worker in the Northern Territory under the study’s settings. In resource regions, renters may also compete with employers seeking accommodation for staff and contractors.

A higher vacancy rate or a larger number of advertisements does not automatically solve the problem. If most new listings remain above what local workers can sustainably pay, the market can offer more choice overall while still providing almost no affordable choice to lower-paid workers.

Rents have outpaced wages

The ABC reported, citing Cotality data, that Australian unit rents increased by 44.3 per cent over the five years covered by the comparison, while house rents rose by 36.6 per cent. Anglicare said wages grew by less than half that pace.

That gap has practical consequences. Workers may move further from their jobs, share with other adults, remain with family for longer or devote a growing share of their income to rent. Longer commutes can then add transport and childcare costs, weakening the benefit of finding a marginally cheaper home.

For employers, the issue can become a recruitment and retention problem. Hospitals, schools, aged-care providers, shops and hospitality businesses may struggle to fill roles when workers cannot find suitable housing within a reasonable distance.

What renters can take from the findings

The percentages are national research results, not a forecast of whether an individual application will succeed. Income, household size, location, debts and available properties will all affect a renter’s options.

Still, the report indicates that many workers may need to widen their search before their current lease ends. Comparing the total cost of different locations is useful: a cheaper weekly rent can be offset by additional fuel, tolls, public transport or childcare expenses.

Applicants should also prepare identification, income records, references and rental history before attending inspections. That will not make an unaffordable property sustainable, but it can reduce delays when a suitable listing appears.

Anglicare called for greater investment in social and affordable housing. The federal government told the ABC it was delivering 55,000 social and affordable homes, including below-market rentals intended to help essential workers live closer to their workplaces, with more than 8,000 completed.

What it means for you

• Renters should set a firm weekly limit that leaves room for transport, utilities and other essentials.
• Workers searching farther from their job should compare total household costs, not rent alone.
• A rise in available listings may not provide relief if asking rents remain beyond local wages.
• Below-market and key-worker housing programs may be worth monitoring where eligibility rules fit your occupation and income.