Aussies On Reddit Are Sharing The Fkd Amounts Of Rent They Pay Compared To What They Earn

australia sydney rent prices reddit

Rent. Apart from being a rock musical with incredibly dark overtones, it’s also the one thing you probably dread the most. Given Australia’s piss-poor relationship with rent prices, I’d be shocked if you weren’t a little spooked by it.

According to the 2022 Demographia International Housing Affordability Report, the average house price in Sydney (the capital S stands for Satan) is 15 times the average household income. In fact, Sydney came second on the list of least affordable markets in the world.

That might sound cooked on paper but in reality, it’s Huey’s Kitchen out here. Cooked, steamed, flambéed and flipped like a pancake. Love it here!

But hey, Melbourne was the fifth-worst on the list with prices 12.5 times the average income, so I guess I’ll go hide in a wall at Tassie’s MOMA and pretend I’m an art installation.

These batshit stats inspired one Reddit user on r/Sydney to ask their internet friends how much they were paying in rent. The answers came from all across NSW and gave a healthy insight into the unhealthy amount we pay our landlords.

“If people don’t mind sharing, what do you pay for rent in Sydney and what % of your monthly income?” asked u/MikeJustMakeIt on Reddit.

“I’ll start. Currently paying $360 pw in Ryde area. Lease ends soon and seems like places are getting quite expensive and nice places always have a lot of people interested in them or applying. There are quite a few more expensive places for … lesser quality as well.”

Here are some of the responses this question received on Reddit:

u/Apprehensive-Duck553: “$530 per week for 1 bedroom in Eastgardens. About 28% of my income (I split it with my boyfriend). Really happy with the current situation but the landlord is increasing it to $630 when my lease ends in August.”

u/WaXmAn24: “Last year, I was paying $215 per week for a room in a share house in Jannali, my wage was between $500 and $1,000 per week.”

u/Dgal6560: “I pay about $3,300 a month split rent with my girlfriend and we live in Chippendale. Ends up [being] about 25% of my income which isn’t bad considering we can walk to everything, including jobs in the city.”

u/pianist_: “I’ve just realised how poor I am compared to everyone else here holy shit! Currently paying $200/week in Randwick for a room with its own kitchenette. Around 30% of my pay. Great location 20 mins walk to Coogee and 5 mins to the shopping centre. Bus stop to beaches/city right outside my front door.”

u/blissiictrl: “I was paying $420 a week in Sutherland near the CBD for a two-bedroom, first-floor apartment. Roughly 25% of my income.”

u/Help_Me_Work: “I pay $430 per week for a two-bedroom in Meadowbank. It’s just under 50% of my income. It’s expensive, but I love it here.”

u/fiestydrunk: “I pay $330 a week for a studio in Surry Hills near Taylor Square. Way too much if you ask me. Plus, I am currently taking my landlord to the tribunal for taking over a month to install a working smoke alarm.”

u/Murrian: “I paid $270 per week for a shoebox by Taylor Square a few years back, then they wanted to up the price to $330 per week and I told them to get fucked and left.

“It was horrendous, I had constant problems with roaches coming in through every crack (and there were lots of those) or up the drains; bombs, border sprays and traps did nothing, neither did the landlord. Windows were ‘original features’, so you could hear every word said down at Taylor Square, which meant no sleeping until at least 3am.

But you could pass the time until then listening to the neighbours through the paper-thin walls.”

u/kingrooted: “$290 per week for a two-bedroom apartment in North Parramatta, while our house is getting built. The apartment has an aircon and is close to all the restaurants, so that’s nice. The only downside is my car doesn’t fit in the little garage. Rent is a little under 20% of my income.”

u/WagsPup: “In 2019, I was paying $700 per week for a one-bedroom unit in Rushcutters Bay and that was about 40% of my income. At that point, I said stuff it and took out a mortgage for the same monthly cost as rent and haven’t regretted it once, even though the place I live in isn’t as nice.”

u/Sarah1608: “I’m paying $650 per week for a three bed, three bath house in Ashfield. No parking space, but a decent sized yard for my doggo. Pretty good chance our rent will increase when the lease comes up though. Split with my partner, it’s about 25% of my income.”

u/Useless_Prick: “$800 per week in rent for a three-bedroom in Marrickville. Place is so small, I knock drinks over with my elbows and can barely fit in the shower cubicle (I’m a man over six feet tall). I hate it here.”

As you can see, rent isn’t just fucked up for you but a whole smorgasbord of other Aussies as well. I’d ask the government to do literally anything but my faith in miracles has waned.


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