b'APRIL 20253.2 Rental costsSydney also has by far the highest rent prices. According to SQM Research, as of March 2025, the average rental cost across all dwellings in Sydney is $849 per week. In Brisbane, it is $679 week and in Melbourne, $648 per week. Sydney is 31% more expensive, despite there being a higher proportion of apartments in the dwelling mix across Sydney. 103.3 Inhabitants per Household by City 11Chart 3: Number of People per Household2.752.70Inhabitants per household2.652.602.552.502004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022Sydney Melbourne BrisbaneSource: Reserve Bank Australia,(2023). A New Measure of Average Household Size, 13 period Henderson trends, originally published 16 March 2025, accessed: 22/02/2025 Another measure of housing supply is the numberOther states range closer to the national average of occupants in each dwelling.of 2.5. This difference, while apparently small, is in fact significant when the total number While the data jumps about, as at the end ofof households in each city is considered. The 2023, Sydney had the highest number of peopledifference reflects a shortage of housing supply per dwelling, despite having a larger number ofand more shared housing.apartments (inherently smaller dwellings) than the other capitals. Sydney is the only Australian city above 2.6 persons in each household (on average). 10 SQM Research, (2025). Weekly Rents Sidney, Melbourne, Brisbane, SQM research website, accessed from: https://sqmresearch.com.au/weekly-rents.php?region=vic%3A%3AMelbourne&type=c&t=111 Agarwal, N., Bishop, J., and Day, Iris. (2023) RBA, A New Measure of Average Household Size, BulletinMarch2023 - Australian Economy, Graph 6. https://www.rba.gov.au/publications/bulletin/2023/mar/a-new-measure-of-average-household-size.html9'