Released 18 November 2011



The average housing costs for households with a mortgage increased by $120 per week or 42% over the past decade, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).    

The ABS Housing Occupancy and Costs report found between 1999-2000 and 2009-10, average weekly housing costs for private renters increased by $78 per week or 34% (CPI adjusted) and average weekly housing cost for owners without a mortgage increased by $5 per week or 17% (CPI adjusted).

Over the same period, the proportion of households that owned their home without a mortgage fell from 39% to 33%. The proportion of households with a mortgage increased from 32% to 36% and the proportion of private renter households increased from 20% to 24%.

In 2009-10, households with a mortgage had the highest housing costs, averaging $408 per week or 18% of their gross household income. Over the past decade the proportion of gross income that households with a mortgage spend on housing costs has been stable, at about 18%.

The report found private renters spent an average of $305 per week on rent payments in 2009–10, or 20% of their gross household income. The proportion that private renters spend on housing costs has also remained stable over the past decade, representing about 19% of gross income.