Housing A Top Financial Concern
The cost of housing, whether mortgage payments or rent, is Australians’ top financial concern for 2026.
Canstar’s latest Consumer Pulse Report shows that despite three cash cuts in 2025, the number of respondents who say housing is their top financial concern is double what it was five years ago.
As a result, renters in particular are changing spending habits to help them manage, with 42% reducing their spending and 17% actively looking for a more affordable rental property.
The report says half ofthe respondents experienced a rental increase in 2025 by an average of $62 per week.
More than a quarter of property owners say they are considering selling within the next two years, with 19% considering selling because they cannot afford higher loan repayments.
A survey for property developer Capital Corporation found 56% of those planning to downsize their home want to free up money for their retirement as well as reduce house costs.
Canstar’s Data Insights Director, Sally Tindall, says while rate cuts in 2025 brought some much-needed relief to mortgage holders, it hasn’t been enough.
“Housing remains the nation’s top financial concern. Whether it’s mortgage repayments or rents, the meteoric rise to what is, for most people, their biggest financial expense has been difficult to shoulder.”
