Brisbane now more expensive than Sydney for first-home buyers

First-home buyers in Brisbane have been dealt another blow, with new data showing entry-level homes are now more expensive here than in Sydney.

New figures from property data firm Foundit showed that while Sydney remained more expensive overall, Brisbane had surpassed it on the lower end of the spectrum.

During the past year, only 3.2 per cent of homes sold for under $500,000 in the Greater Brisbane area, compared with 4 per cent in Greater Sydney.

The report found the most homes to go to market in that price range were mainly apartments and townhouses in the CBD, Woodridge and Beenleigh.

Woodridge overall, however, had seen significant growth in the five years to December 2025, with data from Domain showing a 203.4 per cent jump to $607,500.

Hopes that a rate rise, as announced last week, would slow property growth in Brisbane were stifled by industry experts. AMP chief economist Shane Oliver previously told this masthead the city’s property prices weren’t as vulnerable to a single rate rise as other cities, as it had “stronger economic fundamentals”.

A search of this masthead’s partner website, Domain, turned up the following properties that sold recently under the $500,000 mark.

CBD: 1-bedroom apartment for $310,000

Kangaroo Point: 1-bedroom apartment for $305,000

Stafford: 1-bedroom villa with courtyard for $455,000

Wakerley: Studio apartment for $365,000

Acacia Ridge: One-bedroom apartment for $450,000

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