Apartment rents now cost more than half a typical worker’s take-home pay in all Australian capital cities, report finds

Sydney’s median unit rent of $756 a week would cost 69% of a worker’s weekly pay if they were on a salary of $70,000, a study has found. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters

Renting a mid-priced unit in any of Australia’s capital cities now costs more than half a typical single worker’s take-home pay, spurring advocates to urge Labor to offer renters more protections.

New modelling shows someone earning $70,000 – close to the median annual income – would have to spend two-thirds of their earnings if they wanted to rent the median Sydney apartment.