Ipswich rents best value in SEQ

Australians fleeing rocketing capital-city rental prices are finding sanctuary in Ipswich, new data shows.

Carter Westlake, 11, Kym Monzari and Harlyn Westlake, 12 at their Brassall home. Picture: Cordell Richardson

AUSTRALIANS fleeing rocketing capital-city rental prices are finding sanctuary in Ipswich, with new data showing the city's rentals are among the most affordable in the southeast Queensland.

The Affordable Housing Income Gap report released last month compared average household incomes with the cost of renting an average dwelling across most Aussie postcodes.

Rental affordability was best in the Dinmore-Riverview area according to the report from Compass Housing Services, with relatively high wages easily outstripping the cost of housing.

Unlike much of southeast Queensland, households across the Ipswich City Council area only spend an average of 23% of their income on rent.

Springfield fared similarly well, with most residents only spending 26 per cent of household income on the weekly rent bill.

For Brassall resident Kym Monzani, the choice between Ipswich and her native Auckland was made much easier by how much value was on offer in the Ipswich region.

"Ipswich is a very affordable place to live, not just in terms of rent but there are so many free activities, a lot of them being nature-based; there are wildlife parks, scenic walks, and tons of sport," she said.

The housing affordability crisis in Auckland is comparable to that of Sydney or Hong Kong, with a Demographia report rating it the fourth least affordable city in the world.

"In Ipswich you have a greater variety of homes with outdoor space. Particularly the older houses that come with bigger yards are really good," Kym said.

Action Realty Principal Glenn Ball said demand was consistent for quality homes throughout Ipswich, with multiple applications for many properties.

"In demand at the moment are neat and tidy lowset brick homes, along with post-war homes and those properties offering multipurpose spaces like sheds," he said.