Western Australia faces severe rental crisis as high incomes fail to prevent housing stress

A new report from the affordable housing coalition Everybody’s Home reveals a severe rental crisis in Western Australia. The ‘Priced Out’ report indicates that even a yearly salary of $130,000 is insufficient to avoid housing stress, as renters in Perth may spend 36 per cent of their income on housing, exceeding the recommended 30 per cent threshold.

The crisis is particularly acute in northern Western Australia, specifically the Pilbara and Kimberley regions, which have emerged as the most expensive rental markets in the country. In these areas, median rents consume nearly all the disposable income of individuals earning between $40,000 and $60,000 per year.

Low-income earners face even greater hardship; for instance, those earning $40,000 a year in Perth could spend up to 97 per cent of their weekly wage on median unit rents.