Ballarat remains one of the more affordable places to rent in regional Victoria.
The latest Quarterly Rental Review from Cotality shows that in the fourth quarter of 2025, tenants in the city were paying an average of $450 per week for their property.
That figure is $51 less than the statewide average, and significantly cheaper than the median rent price for Geelong ($545 p/w), Bendigo ($530 p/w) and Mildura ($497 p/w).
Unfortunately, the report also suggests that Ballarat’s renters are still feeling the squeeze.
Just 1.1% of rental properties in the city were considered “vacant” during the period, compared with 2.1% a year ago.
The cost of rent has also risen by a staggering 23.9% within the past five years.
Similar problems are facing tenants elsewhere in Australia.
Nationwide, rental costs increased by an average of 1.3% compared to the previous quarter (July – September 2025) and 5.2% on the year prior, while the vacancy rate now sits at 1.7% – well below the pre-pandemic average of 3.3%.
Research Director at Cotality, Tim Lawless described the figures as bad for both renters and inflation.
“The ongoing growth in rental costs is bad news for renters, with Cotality’s national rental index surging 42.9% over the past five years, adding approximately $204 [per] week to the median rental value,” Mr Lawless said.
“The reacceleration in rental values is also bad news for inflation and the cash rate outlook as rental costs hold a significant weight in the CPI [Consumer Price Index] calculation.”
Meantime, rival research firm PropTrack has released its latest Home Price Index, showing the cost of owning a property also continues to increase.
PropTrack’s report shows that last year, Ballarat was the second-fastest growing market in Victoria, with house prices increasing by around 10.6% in 12 months.
The city’s median property value now sits at $573,000.
