Finding a place to rent in the Central Highlands is getting harder but we’re faring better than other regions financially.
That’s according to the Renting in 2026 report released this week by Domain, outlining how much income is needed for tenants to afford their property and avoid “Rental Stress”.
It shows that in Ballarat, households require at least $74,516 per year for their properties to be considerable affordable – the fourth-best figure of any market in regional Victoria.
That’s also much less than what most people in the country are paying, with Domain putting the average for regional Australia at $101,400 for a typical house, and $91,000 for a unit.
The Maryborough-Pyrenees area is considered the most affordable in Victoria, with an average income of $68,484 needed, followed closely by the Grampians region at $69,316.
None of our markets currently meet the criteria for rental stress, which is where the cost of rent exceeds 30% of pre-tax income.
But, Domain’s Senior Economist Dr Joel Bowman says the market remains incredibly tough heading into 2026.
“Rents are still rising faster than wages, vacancy rates are at record lows, and… the gap is widening between where renters want to live, and what they can actually afford,” Dr Bowman says.
He adds that with individual earnings sitting around $80,200 per year on average, “enormous pressure” has been placed on single-income renters.
