What does 2025 hold for housing values in your city? The experts weigh in
Factors such as migration levels, rental demand and persistently high interest rates are impacting on some major centres more than others
5 min
Australian house prices are forecast to continue rising in 2025 — but at a slower pace. Supply of homes for sale will remain constrained and potentially higher interest rates hanging around for longer will continue to limit both finance availability and affordability.
Moderating population growth as migration rates normalise is expected to soften demand. However, this will be offset somewhat by rising rents continuing to encourage some people to buy.
In KPMG’s Residential Property Outlook, chief economist Dr Brendan Rynne says: “When the cost of renting is comparable to the cost of buying and owning a similar property, households may opt for home ownership, potentially driving up house prices.”
The research team at Domain notes that more people living alone will continue to put pressure on home values and rents in FY25. COVID and the opportunity to work from home prompted many people to leave shared inner city rental accommodation and set up their own homes in more affordable areas. Meantime, as our population gets older, more people are forced to live alone due to marriage breakdown or the death of a spouse.
Some markets will see superior apartment price gains compared to houses. CBA senior economist Belinda Allen says affordability challenges have “seen drivers of home price growth switch slowly”, as more buyers accept they cannot afford a house. This trend is most notable in mid-tier capital cities like Perth, Brisbane and Adelaide where prices have risen most.
Ms Allen adds: “We are seeing a similar thematic in the rental market; national unit rents are up 22 percent over the past year compared to 16 percent for house rents.”
Here is a snapshot of predictions for property price growth in the period ahead.
Sydney
Domain forecasts 6 to 8 percent growth for house prices, taking the median above $1.7 million by the end of FY25. Domain also tips 4 to 6 percent growth for apartments, which would make Sydney one of the best-performing unit markets of FY25.
In the calendar year of 2025, KPMG’s predictions are 5.3 percent house price growth and 5.6 percent for units. CBA’s predictions are 4 percent growth for Sydney home values overall.
Melbourne
Domain forecasts 0 to 2 percent growth for house prices in what is now “the slowest and most inconsistent recovery in the city’s history”. Domain tips better growth for apartments at 2 to 4 percent. Houses will underperform because of high supply compared to demand, and the introduction of significantly higher land taxes for investors. By the end of FY25, the city will still not have regained its median price losses from the 2022-23 downturn.
In the calendar year of 2025, KPMG’s predictions are 6.5 percent growth for both houses and apartments in Melbourne. CBA’s predictions are 4 percent growth for dwelling values overall. CBA’s Ms Allen says that once investors get used to the taxation changes, they may look to Melbourne for value and greater capital growth potential outside the recent top-performing mid-tier cities.
Brisbane
Domain predicts 6 to 8 percent house price growth in FY25, which may see Brisbane crack the million-dollar median for the first time. Unit prices are tipped to grow by 4 to 6 percent, which would make Brisbane one of the top-performing unit markets of FY25.
In the calendar year of 2025, KPMG’s forecasts are 5.1 percent house price growth and 2.5 percent for units. CBA’s predictions are 7 percent growth for dwelling values overall.
Adelaide
Domain sees 7 to 9 percent growth for house prices in Adelaide, with the city likely to reach a million-dollar median by December 2025. The unit market is forecast to be one of the best in the country with 4 to 6 percent growth in FY25.
In the calendar year of 2025, KPMG’s predictions are 5.9 percent house price growth and 4.6 percent for units. CBA’s predictions are 9 percent growth for dwelling values overall.
Perth
Perth will dominate the capital cities with house price growth of 8 to 10 percent in FY25, according to Domain. Unit prices are forecast to lift by 4 to 5 percent, but even at the top growth rate, the median will still be under a very comparatively affordable $450,000.
In the calendar year of 2025, KPMG’s forecasts are 5.2 percent house price growth and 8 percent for units. CBA’s predictions are 12 percent growth for home values overall.
Canberra
Canberra is only just moving into its recovery now, with house prices likely to see mild growth of 0 to 4 percent in FY25, according to Domain. Unit prices are tipped to increase by 1 to 4 percent. Over the past few years, the ACT Government has encouraged more strata-title development as new land supply runs out amid ongoing population growth, and as residents get older and need more downsizing housing options.
KPMG’s predictions are 6 percent house price growth and 4.1 percent for units in Canberra in the calendar year 2025.
Hobart
KPMG’s forecasts are 5.7 percent house price growth and 5.3 percent for units in Hobart in the calendar year 2025. KPMG said weak economic conditions in Melbourne will directly affect Hobart, with flow-on impacts to property values.
KPMG’s Dr Brendan Rynne said: “Given the interconnected nature of these two markets, the sluggish performance in Melbourne is likely to have a ripple effect on Hobart’s economic prospects.”
Regional Australia
Domain Research says the removal of incentives for migrants to settle in regional areas will impact population growth and housing demand in FY25. Offsetting this will be the construction sector focusing more on city projects amid a severe undersupply nationwide, thereby keeping supply of new homes in regional areas tight. Towns with close proximity to the cities will remain attractive for buyers priced out of metro markets.
Domain forecasts moderate growth for regional Queensland with 2 to 4 percent house price gains and 3 to 4 percent unit price gains. The Gold Coast and Sunshine Coasts should crack new record house prices in FY25, with Domain tipping 3 to 6 percent growth for houses and 3 to 4 percent growth for units on the Gold Coast and 2 to 5 percent growth for houses and 3 to 4 percent growth for apartments on the Sunshine Coast.
Growth will be sluggish in regional NSW with 0 to 3 percent gains for houses and 1 to 3 percent gains for units. Houses prices in regional Victoria may decline in FY25, with forecasts of between a 3 percent fall and 0 percent growth. Domain tips unit prices to lift 1 to 2 percent.
As housing drives wealth and policy debate, the real risk is an economy hooked on growth without productivity to sustain it.
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As housing drives wealth and policy debate, the real risk is an economy hooked on growth without productivity to sustain it.
3 minFor decades, Australia has leaned into its reputation as the lucky country. But luck, as it turns out, is not an economic strategy.
What once looked like resilience now appears increasingly fragile. Beneath the surface of rising property values and steady headline growth, the Australian economy is showing signs of strain that can no longer be ignored.
Recent data paints a sobering picture. Australia has recorded one of the largest declines in real household disposable income per capita among advanced economies.
Wages have failed to keep pace with inflation, meaning many Australians are working harder for less. On a per capita basis, income growth has stalled and, at times, reversed.
And yet, on paper, things still look relatively solid. GDP is growing. Unemployment remains low. But that growth is increasingly being driven by population expansion rather than productivity.
More people are contributing to output, but not necessarily improving living standards.
That distinction matters.
For years, Australia’s economic success rested on a powerful combination: a once-in-a-generation mining boom, a credit-fuelled housing market, strong migration and a property sector that rarely faltered. Between 1991 and 2020, the country avoided recession entirely, building enormous wealth in the process.
But much of that wealth is tied to property. Around two-thirds of household wealth sits in real estate, inflated by leverage and sustained by demand. It has worked, until now.
The problem is the supply side of the economy has not kept up.
Housing supply is falling behind population growth. Rental vacancies are near record lows.
Construction firms are collapsing at an elevated rate. At the same time, massive infrastructure pipelines are competing with residential projects for labour and materials, pushing costs higher and delaying delivery.
The result is a system under pressure from all angles.
Despite near full employment, productivity growth has stagnated for years. In simple terms, Australians are putting in more hours without generating more output per hour. The economy is running faster, butgoing nowhere.
Meanwhile, government spending continues to expand. Public debt is approaching $1 trillion, with spending now accounting for a record share of GDP.
The gap between spending and revenue has been filled by borrowing for decades, adding further pressure to an already stretched system.
This is where the uncomfortable question emerges.
Has Australia become too reliant on a model driven by rising property values, expanding credit and population growth?
As asset prices rise, households feel wealthier and borrow more. Banks lend more. Governments collect more revenue. Migration fuels demand. The cycle reinforces itself.
But when productivity stalls and debt outpaces real income, the system begins to depend on constant expansion just to stay stable.
It is not a collapse scenario. But it is not particularly stable either.
Nowhere is this more evident than in housing.
The National Housing Accord targets 1.2 million new homes over five years, yet current completion rates are well below that pace. With approvals falling and construction costs rising, the gap between supply and demand is widening, not narrowing.
Housing is also one of the largest contributors to inflation, with costs rising sharply across rents, construction and utilities. Yet the private sector, from small investors to major developers, is struggling to make projects stack up in the current environment.
This brings the policy debate into sharper focus.
Tax settings such as negative gearing and capital gains concessions have undoubtedly boosted demand over the past two decades. But they have also supported supply. Removing them may ease prices briefly, but risks deepening the supply shortage over time.
That is the paradox.
Policies designed to make housing more affordable can, in practice, make the shortage worse if they discourage development. The optics may appeal, but the economics are far less forgiving.
It is also worth remembering that most property investors are not institutional players. The majority own just one investment property. They are, in many cases, ordinary Australians using real estate as their primary wealth-building tool.
Undermining that system without replacing it with a viable alternative risks unintended consequences, from reduced supply to higher rents and increased inflation.
So where does that leave Australia?
At a crossroads.
The country can continue to rely on population growth and rising asset prices to drive economic activity. Or it can shift towards a model built on productivity, innovation and sustainable growth.
The latter is harder. It requires structural reform, long-term thinking and political discipline.
But it is also the only path that leads to genuine, lasting prosperity.
The question is no longer whether Australia has been lucky.
It is whether it can evolve before that luck runs out.
Paul Miron is the Co-Founder & Fund Manager of Msquared Capital.
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