Renting an affordable property remains a challenge in Greater Bendigo.
The latest Quarterly Rental Review from Cotality shows that in the fourth quarter of 2025, tenants in the city were paying around $530 per week for their property.
That figure is $29 higher than the statewide average, and significantly more than the median rent price in comparable markets like Ballarat ($450 p/w) and Mildura ($497 p/w).
Even so, Bendigo remains a cheaper than Geelong ($545 p/w) and Melbourne ($624 p/w)
Renters are feeling the squeeze in other ways too, with just 1.1% of rental properties locally considered “vacant” during the last quarter, compared with 1.5% a year ago.
The cost of rent has also risen by a staggering 41.7% 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, Bendigo was the third-fastest growing market in Victoria, with house prices increasing by 8.7% on average in 12 months.
The city’s median property value now sits at $633,000.
