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The dream of having a safe and secure home is slipping further out of reach for many Australians, with new research revealing just how difficult it has become to find an affordable rental property across Sydney and the Illawarra.

Anglicare Sydney’s 2026 Rental Affordability Snapshot, now in its 16th year, has delivered its bleakest results yet, showing that even full-time work is no longer enough for many individuals and families to secure affordable housing.

The report examined 12,155 private rental listings across Greater Sydney and the Illawarra and found shockingly low levels of affordability for minimum wage earners and people relying on income support payments.

For a single parent with two children earning the minimum wage, only three rental properties across the entire region were considered affordable and suitable. A single person on minimum wage had access to just seven affordable listings.

Overall, only 1.51 per cent of rental properties around one in every 70 listings were affordable for households earning the minimum wage.

The situation has worsened dramatically in recent years. In 2021, a person on minimum wage could access more than 1,300 affordable rentals on the private market. In 2026, that number has dropped to just 184 — an 86 per cent decline in only five years.

For people relying on income support payments such as JobSeeker, Youth Allowance, the Disability Support Pension or Parenting Payment, the findings were even more alarming, with not a single affordable rental identified across Sydney and the Illawarra.

The Age Pension was the only support payment that provided access to any affordable rentals, but even then the options were extremely limited. Across the region, only eight properties were affordable for pensioner couples and just two for single pensioners.

Anglicare Sydney Group Executive of Housing, Rob Stokes, said the figures highlighted how much life in NSW had changed.

“The great Australian dream used to be having a house to call your own, near family and friends, and close to work,” Mr Stokes said.

“Now people are lucky to find a rental that doesn’t immediately tip them into financial distress.

“If you’re a minimum wage earner, just one in every 70 rentals across Sydney and the Illawarra is affordable. Imagine scrolling through dozens of listings, finally finding one within your budget, only to arrive at an inspection with a huge line of desperate applicants.”

Mr Stokes said the housing crisis was no longer simply about supply and demand, but about ensuring Australians had access to stable and secure housing.

“That’s not the great Australian dream it’s a nightmare, and it is only getting worse,” he said.

The report found 10 out of 18 regions across Greater Sydney and the Illawarra had no affordable rentals available for people on income support.

Areas including Blacktown, the Southwest, the Outer West and the Blue Mountains recorded the highest concentration of affordable rentals for minimum wage earners, but even there only three to five per cent of advertised properties were considered affordable.

Anglicare Sydney is now calling on governments to take urgent action, including increasing the supply of social and affordable housing, boosting financial support for renters, strengthening renters’ rights and expanding crisis accommodation.

“The time has come to stop the endless debate and instead make real policy changes that ensure every Australian has the opportunity to enjoy housing security,” Mr Stokes said.

“No one should have to live in constant fear about whether they can afford to keep a roof over their head.”