Rental units only $39 cheaper than houses per week as demand soars for affordable options

Appartments in the Sydney’s Homebush area. The median rental price for units in Sydney rose 1.9% in April and has risen nearly 20% in a year. Photograph: Jessica Hromas/The Guardian

Renting a house in Australia costs just $39 more a week than renting a unit, compared to a difference of $64 a year ago, new research shows.

Kaytlin Ezzy, an economist at property data firm CoreLogic, said Australians have been increasingly turning to units amid sky-rocketing rents. This has caused the rental price gap between houses and units to shrink as demand for units outstrips supply.