PropTrack Home Price Index Tracker
REA Group's PropTrack Home Price Index, tracked month by month — the latest national and capital-city price movements, the trend since the March 2026 peak, and what it means for investors. Updated within days of every monthly release.
What is the PropTrack Home Price Index showing right now?
Australian home prices fell 0.3% in July 2026 — the fourth consecutive monthly decline and, per PropTrack, the sharpest monthly fall in three years. The national median sits at $894,000, down 1.8% from the March 2026 peak but still up 3.9% year-on-year. Every capital city declined in July except Darwin (+0.1%).
The Latest Numbers (July 2026)
National: −0.3% for the month · +3.9% annually · median $894,000 · −1.8% from peak. July made the downturn unanimous: every capital fell except Darwin, Perth's median slipped back under $1 million ($999,000), and three capitals — Melbourne, Sydney and Canberra — are now below year-ago levels. Annual growth compressed in every market on the board.
Monthly Change in Home Prices by Capital — July 2026
The downturn went unanimous in July: every capital fell except Darwin (+0.1%), with Sydney (–0.6%) leading the declines. The national reading is shown in amber.
Source: PropTrack Home Price Index, July 2026 (REA Group, released 3 August 2026).
| Market | Monthly | Annual | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | −0.6% | −1.6% | $1,205,000 |
| Melbourne | −0.4% | −2.7% | $829,000 |
| Brisbane | −0.3% | +11.1% | $1,060,000 |
| Adelaide | −0.5% | +10.0% | $935,000 |
| Perth | −0.2% | +14.9% | $999,000 |
| Hobart | −0.5% | +7.8% | $727,000 |
| Darwin | +0.1% | +14.9% | $636,000 |
| Canberra | −0.5% | −0.9% | $854,000 |
| Regional areas | 0.0% | +8.0% | — |
| National | −0.3% | +3.9% | $894,000 |
Source: PropTrack Home Price Index, July 2026 (REA Group, released 3 August 2026). National prices are 1.8% below their March 2026 peak.
Segment note: the falls are concentrating at the premium end. Cotality's July tier data shows upper-quartile values down 3.2% over the three months to July while the lower tier rose 0.3% — affordable stock is holding the floor while expensive markets carry the correction.
The Trend
Where are we in the cycle?
The national market peaked in March 2026. The monthly sequence since: April –0.1%, May –0.04%, June –0.3%, July –0.3%. Four straight falls — the most sustained decline on this index since the 2022–23 downturn — yet still a grinding correction rather than a crash, with the national median 1.8% below its peak.
National Monthly Change Since the March 2026 Peak
Four consecutive falls: –0.1% in April, –0.04% in May, then –0.3% in both June and July — per PropTrack, July's was the sharpest monthly fall in three years. A grinding correction rather than a crash, with the national median now 1.8% below peak.
Source: PropTrack Home Price Index, July 2026 (REA Group, released 3 August 2026). April and May readings from PropTrack's prior monthly releases.
Two features distinguish this downturn so far:
- It runs on price tiers more than geography now. Every capital except Darwin fell in July, but the premium end is carrying the correction (Cotality upper quartile –3.2% over three months vs lower tier +0.3%) while regional markets — flat in July, +8.0% for the year — and affordable stock hold the floor.
- Sellers are withdrawing, not capitulating. Equity buffers from the boom years are deep and forced selling is largely absent — Sydney alone saw 90 auctions withdrawn in the week ending 2 August (Cotality) — which caps how fast prices can fall while rates stay at 4.35%.
Annual Home Price Growth by Market — Year to July 2026
Three capitals are now in annual decline — Melbourne (–2.7%), Sydney (–1.6%) and Canberra (–0.9%) — while Perth and Darwin share the top spot at +14.9%. Every market's annual rate compressed from the June print. National and regional readings shown in amber.
Source: PropTrack Home Price Index, July 2026 (REA Group, released 3 August 2026).
Cross-Check: PropTrack vs Cotality
The two major index providers now agree the downturn is national — PropTrack printed –0.3% for July against Cotality's –0.7%, its largest fall since December 2022 — and argue only about speed. June's sharp Perth divergence resolved in PropTrack's favour: Cotality revised its June Perth read down 120 basis points to –0.5%, matching PropTrack's original print, and both indices now show Perth oscillating around zero. Our working rule, from the methodology comparison below: use either index for direction, neither for precision, and both for confidence. See the Home Value Index Tracker for the Cotality side.
PropTrack vs Cotality — July 2026 Monthly Change
June's sign disagreements largely resolved: both indices now show a national correction, with Cotality printing roughly double PropTrack's magnitudes (national –0.7% vs –0.3%). Perth is the last split — both reads oscillating around zero. Markets with published July reads on both indices shown.
Source: PropTrack Home Price Index, July 2026 (REA Group, released 3 August 2026). Cotality Home Value Index, July 2026.
What This Means for Investors — Our Analysis
- Position by segment, not the headline. The –0.3% national print blends premium-end falls with an affordable-market floor and flat regional markets. The index that matters is the one for the segment you're buying.
- Yield maths improves every month this continues. Prices drifting down ~0.3% monthly against rents growing ~6% annually mechanically expands gross yields, so the longer the grind runs, the better the entry arithmetic gets. Model it with our capital growth calculator.
- The affordable end is the quiet outperformer. Lower-tier values rose 0.3% over the three months to July on Cotality's data while the upper quartile fell 3.2%, as affordability-constrained owner-occupiers and yield-driven investors converge on the same stock.
- 11 August is the branch point. A fourth RBA hike would extend the downturn into 2027; the first easing signal likely marks the bottom of the buyer's window. Watch the cash-rate decision, not the next index print.
Monthly Editions — Full Analysis Archive
Each month we publish a full investor deep-dive on the release. The tracker above always carries the latest figures.
Fourth consecutive fall (−0.3%), the sharpest in three years per PropTrack; Perth back under $1m; Canberra joins Sydney and Melbourne in annual decline.
Third straight fall (−0.3%); seven of eight capitals declined — only Darwin rose.
−0.04% between April's first fall and June's broadening.
First national fall of 2026 (−0.1%), driven by Sydney (−0.5%) and Melbourne (−0.3%); six capitals flat or positive.
Related one-off: PropTrack × Westpac investor report, March 2026 — the sub-$700K investor segment.
Methodology
How the PropTrack Home Price Index works: REA Group's monthly, hedonically adjusted measure of Australian home values, built from the realestate.com.au listings ecosystem combined with sales records. The hedonic model controls for what sold each month (property mix) rather than tracking raw medians. City figures cover each capital's Greater Capital City Statistical Area. Release timing: ~1st of each month, covering the prior month. Revisions: the full index history is recalculated monthly and the latest ~three years of values are revised as late-settling sales arrive — treat any single print as provisional.
vs Cotality HVI: Cotality (formerly CoreLogic) runs a daily hedonic index on a valuation database plus near-universal sales records. Per-city monthly magnitudes typically differ 20–40 basis points between the providers due to settlement lags, dataset differences, model weighting, composition timing and revisions policy.
Sources
- PropTrack, Home Price Index — July 2026 (REA Group, released 3 August 2026; commentary by Anne Flaherty, Senior Economist) — proptrack.com.au/home-price-index
- PropTrack, Home Price Index, April–June 2026 editions (prior monthly releases)
- Cotality, Home Value Index, July 2026 — cross-check and tier figures via our Home Value Index Tracker
- RBA cash rate decisions, February–May 2026 (3.60% → 4.35%)
Frequently Asked Questions
Around the start of each month, covering the prior month. The August 2026 edition is expected ~1 September 2026 — this tracker is updated within days of each release.
No. PropTrack (REA Group) and Cotality (formerly CoreLogic) publish independent indices with different data and models. They usually agree on direction but differ on magnitude — in July 2026 both showed a national fall, but Cotality's read (−0.7%) was more than double PropTrack's (−0.3%).
On the July 2026 PropTrack index, yes — nationally prices fell 0.3%, the fourth consecutive monthly decline since the March 2026 peak and, per PropTrack, the sharpest in three years. Every capital fell except Darwin; regional markets were flat and remain up 8% over the year.
Treat it as provisional. PropTrack revises its recent history every month as late-settling sales arrive, and single-month prints can diverge from Cotality's by 20–40 basis points or more. Direction over 2–3 months is the more reliable signal.
The Bottom Line
The PropTrack index says Australia's housing market peaked in March 2026 and is grinding lower — not crashing — with July's –0.3% the fourth straight fall and the first with every capital down except Darwin. The national median is still up 3.9% on the year, equity buffers are keeping forced sellers away, and the correction is concentrated at the premium end while affordable stock and the regions hold the floor. For investors, every month of grind improves entry yields; the 11 August RBA decision is the next genuine branch point.
Disclaimer
This page is general information only and does not constitute financial or tax advice. Consider your circumstances and seek professional advice before acting.
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