Foreign student arrivals surge in Australian states

The number of foreign students returning to Australia is on the rise, spelling good news for suburbs with high levels of student accommodation.

Data from Ray White shows that 140,000 foreign students returned to Australia in February, with NSW and Victoria leading the way.

During the height of the pandemic in 2021, areas with higher levels of student accommodation saw significant falls, with Melbourne CBD recording the highest drops. Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee said rental levels in that city fell by 23 percent and prices dropped by 7 percent during 2021, which had a flow-on effect to commercial property in those areas, such as retail properties that relied on that market. Ray White data showed that prior to the pandemic, the numbers of foreign students rose steadily from just under 300,000 in 2006 to more than 800,000 in 2020 before falling to less than 100,000 during COVID.

However, figures show that 49,160 students arrived in NSW in February, with another 47,970 students heading to Victoria. Queensland was the next most popular destination, with 19,300 students arriving ahead of the start of the academic year, followed by Western Australia with 11,850.

Ms Conisbee said rents had already begun to rise quickly, reaching pre pandemic levels, although values had not kept a similar pace. That is expected to happen later this year, she said, noting she is hopeful it will spark a new construction cycle for further affordable student housing.

By any traditional measure, Australia’s property market should be moving in sync. Instead, it is fragmenting.

New research from MaxCap, led by Head of Research Bruce Wan, paints a picture of a market no longer defined by national trends, but by sharp regional divergence, where performance gaps between cities are widening, and the smartest capital is moving accordingly.

At the top end of the ladder, Perth and southeast Queensland are surging ahead. At the other, Melbourne and Auckland are only just beginning to recover from recent downturns. And sitting squarely in the middle is Sydney, steady but constrained.

The takeaway is clear: the era of relying on headline markets is over.

The rise of the unexpected leaders

Brisbane and the broader southeast Queensland region have emerged as standout performers, driven by population growth, infrastructure investment and a sustained undersupply of housing.

According to the report, housing values in the region have continued to accelerate, supported by long-term tailwinds including the 2032 Olympic Games and a decade of relatively subdued price growth prior.

Perth is telling a similar story, albeit for different reasons. Once heavily tied to commodity cycles, the Western Australian capital is now benefiting from a broader base of economic drivers, including defence spending and sustained resource sector strength.

The result is a housing market that remains one of the strongest in the country, even as price growth begins to ease from its peak.

Sydney holds, but doesn’t lead

For Sydney, the story is more nuanced.

While prices continue to climb and the city remains Australia’s most expensive market, affordability constraints are clearly limiting its pace. Residential growth, while positive, lags behind smaller capitals, and commercial sectors are being held back by softer demand in key industries.

There are, however, signs of momentum building. New infrastructure, including the western Sydney Airport and expanded rail networks, is expected to unlock development opportunities and support future growth, particularly in emerging precincts.

Still, the report positions Sydney firmly in the “middle of the pack”, no longer the automatic frontrunner for investors.

Melbourne’s slow reset

Melbourne, once a consistent performer, has spent recent years recalibrating.

Extended lockdowns, combined with new state property taxes, have weighed heavily on investor sentiment and pricing, particularly across the commercial office sector. Residential values have also underperformed, though for different structural reasons.

Now, there are early signs of recovery.

Improved affordability, population growth and a stabilising economic backdrop are beginning to draw buyers back into the market, with both residential and commercial sectors showing tentative signs of improvement.

Auckland’s turning point

Across the Tasman, Auckland has faced its own challenges, particularly from an outflow of younger workers to Australia, which has dampened demand and stalled price growth.

But here too, the tide appears to be shifting.

A return to positive migration, lower interest rates and policy changes — including the easing of foreign buyer restrictions — are expected to support a gradual recovery, alongside renewed interest from offshore capital.

A market that rewards precision

If there is one unifying theme, it is this: broad-brush strategies no longer work.

MaxCap’s research highlights that the most compelling opportunities are increasingly found outside the traditional powerhouses of Sydney and Melbourne, requiring investors to take a more targeted, locally informed approach.

“Given these persistent performance gaps, there is plentiful scope for alpha returns, just by picking the right locations and market segments,” the report notes.

In other words, success in this market is no longer about being in property — it is about being in the right property, in the right place, at the right time.

And increasingly, that place may not be where you expect.

Foreign student arrivals surge in Australian states

As the academic year geared up, overseas students returned to Australia in droves during February

New research shows a widening divide across Australia and New Zealand’s property markets, with investors increasingly forced to look beyond traditional strongholds to find real returns.