Overview
- The KPMG analysis published July 16, 2026, estimates Greater Sydney’s owner-occupier rate dropped to 59.9% in 2025, a near 9 percentage-point fall since 2011 and the lowest level in about 70 years.
- Renters now make up about four in 10 Sydney households and Domain data show median weekly asking rent hit a record $850 with vacancy rates near 1%, putting strong pressure on household budgets.
- ABS figures and KPMG’s modelling show more than 104,000 people left New South Wales for other states in 2025, and Queensland and Western Australia recorded small gains in owner-occupation as buyers relocated.
- Governments have changed tax settings and boosted housing programs while construction of new dwellings reached record levels, but analysts say those measures will take time and may not reverse the loss of ownership in Sydney.
- The long run-up matters for people’s lives because rising prices have pushed younger workers to rent or move away, which could reshape where services and workers locate and increase social and economic strain on the city.