Ballarat’s cheapest suburbs are only getting less affordable for renters

Wendouree and Sebastopol rent prices are on the up while household income is not.

Author

Darcie Humphreys
April 02, 2026

Wendouree and Sebastopol were once considered inexpensive spots to rent a house in Ballarat. 

The median rental price in greater Ballarat sits somewhere between $430 and $460, while things get more expensive for renters in suburbs like Cardigan Village, where rent sits at $490 per week. 

Wendouree and Sebastopol are still at the cheaper part of town - but the number next to the word “cheaper” is going up. 

🏡 How much did it cost in the past? 

  • Between September 2021 and August 2022, the median rental price in Wendouree was listed as $350 a week, according to PropTrack. 

  • In Sebastopol, the median rental price during the same period was sitting at $340 per week. 

💰 How much does it cost now? 

  • Since then, the median rental price in Wendouree has increased by 3.9 percent. It’s listed as $400 per week. 

  • Data in Sebastopol shows an increase in median rental price of 5.1 percent. It’s listed as $410 per week. 

❓ Why is it getting more expensive? The Brolga spoke to Will Munro, Director at Ray White Ballarat, about the factors driving this increase. 

“The biggest driver is that because there’s not enough houses being built for investment, supply is low. When supply drops and demand is high, prices go up,” he said. 

  • “More costs are added with compliance checks, having to get things fixed before going to market, and things like the land tax increase. Owners are upping rent so they’re not out of pocket.” 

🦘A national problem: A recent report from property research firm Cotality showed that, on a national scale, rent has increased 43.9 percent in the past five years. Wages, on the other hand, have grown only 17.5 percent in the same timeframe. 

In Australia, renters are paying, on average, 33.4% percent of their income on rent. 

In short: Rent has risen 2.5 times faster than wages. 

According to Cotality, the increases are felt more in regional markets where rent is up 6.2 percent against 4.8 percent in capital cities. 

This national trend is clearly showing up in Ballarat’s most affordable spots. 

📅 What next?  If this trend continues, suburbs like Wendouree and Sebastopol could continue to drift further away from an accessible price point – though they are still amongst the cheapest in the region.