{"id":817818,"date":"2026-07-23T02:29:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T02:29:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/817818\/"},"modified":"2026-07-23T02:29:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T02:29:13","slug":"hundreds-of-thousands-of-australians-now-living-beyond-their-means-as-mortgage-stress-explodes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/817818\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds of thousands of Australians now living beyond their means as mortgage stress explodes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hundreds of thousands of Australians have fallen into mortgage stress amid the national cost-of-living crisis, spending more than they earn each month.<\/p>\n

The latest OurTop10 Mortgage Stress Report<\/a>\u00a0found there were 421,725 households in mortgage stress across Australia’s 80 most affected postcodes.<\/p>\n

The report found a net increase of 52,030 households experiencing mortgages stress from April to June, 2026 \u2013 with the federal budget handed down on May 12. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Mortgage stress rose 14 per cent in just three months and 18 per cent over the past 12 months, with 68 of the 80 ranked postcodes recording worsening conditions.<\/p>\n

Under the report’s methodology, mortgage stress refers to owner-occupier households in negative monthly cash flow.<\/p>\n

This means their regular expenses \u2013 including mortgage repayments, utilities, insurance, transport and everyday living costs \u2013 exceeded their household income.<\/p>\n

OurTop10 Director Mansour Soltani said financial pressure was no longer confined to Australia’s biggest housing markets.<\/p>\n

“Mortgage stress is no longer confined to Australia’s outer suburban growth corridors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re seeing some of the fastest deterioration in Perth and, perhaps more surprisingly, severe financial pressure emerging in blue-chip suburbs across Melbourne and Sydney.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report found Perth recorded the nation’s largest quarterly increase in mortgage stress, adding 14,746 stressed households.<\/p>\n

“Perth’s deterioration is particularly striking because the city has often been viewed as more affordable than Sydney and Melbourne,\u201d Mr Soltani said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut the city’s relative affordability has not protected households from higher repayments and living costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The worsening mortgage stress comes as Labor’s sweeping housing tax changes continue to dominate the political debate.<\/p>\n

Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ 2026 federal budget scrapped negative gearing for existing residential properties and imposed a minimum 30 per cent capital gains tax.<\/p>\n

The government argued the reforms were necessary to improve intergenerational equity, despite promising no changes to either tax prior to the election.<\/p>\n

The latest Sky News Pulse \/ YouGov poll revealed a bleak view of Australia\u2019s direction just over 12 months after the Albanese government won its historic second term.<\/p>\n

Fifty-one per cent of Australians said Australia had become weaker and poorer compared with one year ago.<\/p>\n

Only 15 per cent of people said the country was stronger and more prosperous while 34 per cent said there had been no change.<\/p>\n

Despite the government\u2019s emphatic electoral mandate, voters have increasingly expressed frustration over economic pressures and security concerns.<\/p>\n

Younger people had a more positive outlook, with 28 per cent of Gen Z saying the country was stronger compared to 32 per cent saying it was weaker.<\/p>\n

Inflation has risen above target, interest rates have been elevated and housing accessibility remains out of reach for many.<\/p>\n

Australia faces a combination of weak growth, stubborn inflation, geopolitical instability and a housing shortage that has pushed up rents and home prices.<\/p>\n

The economy has slowed sharply, with the\u00a0International Monetary Fund recently downgrading its 2026 growth forecast<\/a>\u00a0from 2 per cent to 1.9 per cent.<\/p>\n

That result placed Australia 18th among the 30 major economies modelled by the financial institution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hundreds of thousands of Australians have fallen into mortgage stress amid the national cost-of-living crisis, spending more than…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":817819,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[393560,393549,393511,393558,22956,135679,39187,33873,10968,321900,357872,172475,161013,393562,270514,376755,393563,393565,393537,393555,393556,393520,384092,393540,393554,16169,2324,9356,64,27621,63,393536,9461,393539,13246,393524,1480,99,32092,393543,393548,258233,393569,393546,393541,387035,393529,88374,393557,200392,4837,7747,393530,393566,157545,44773,42930,7688,393509,54222,393510,284390,195,5465,4631,5626,63658,392957,393527,42086,19433,393506,1788,393532,112233,322345,393415,242907,117509,115990,393522,393526,393505,10928,393559,393523,379867,377265,393507,393518,393538,393542,393514,1861,46,393512,393516,97739,393521,393545,393568,393547,393552,391484,194861,393561,361956,13441,393534,393553,393564,378344,222590,313300,122841,393504,393503,377381,393535,23023,382975,393525,393508,188490,393531,393515,389444,393513,393528,388083,378187,393533,393519,393517,393567,39,393544,37652,50850,13998,19144,241840,343028,393550,393551],"class_list":["post-817818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-s-direction","tag-s-emphatic-electoral-mandate","tag-s-highly-controversial-federal-budget","tag-030-households","tag-12-months","tag-135679","tag-39187","tag-33873","tag-10968","tag-2026-federal-budget","tag-357872","tag-172475","tag-161013","tag-393562","tag-270514","tag-376755","tag-725-households","tag-746-stressed-households","tag-80-most","tag-a-bleak-view","tag-a-combination","tag-a-housing-shortage","tag-a-minimum-30","tag-a-more-positive-outlook","tag-a-net-increase","tag-albanese-government","tag-anthony-albanese","tag-april","tag-au","tag-aussies","tag-australia","tag-australia-18th","tag-australians","tag-biggest-housing-markets","tag-bills","tag-blue-chip-suburbs","tag-budget","tag-business","tag-cent","tag-cent-capital-gains-tax","tag-cent-to-1-9","tag-deterioration","tag-each-month","tag-economic-pressures-and-security-concerns","tag-either-tax","tag-everyday-living-costs","tag-existing-residential-properties","tag-federal-budget","tag-fifty-one","tag-financial-pressure","tag-frustration","tag-gen-z","tag-geopolitical-instability","tag-higher-repayments","tag-household-bills","tag-household-income","tag-households","tag-housing","tag-housing-accessibility","tag-housing-tax","tag-housing-tax-changes","tag-hundreds-of-thousands","tag-income","tag-inflation","tag-insurance","tag-interest-rates","tag-intergenerational-equity","tag-its-2026-growth-forecast","tag-its-historic-second-term","tag-jim-chalmers","tag-june","tag-just-three-months","tag-labor","tag-largest-quarterly-increase","tag-living-costs","tag-may-12","tag-melbourne-and-sydney","tag-methodology","tag-mortgage-repayments","tag-mortgage-stress","tag-mortgage-stress-ourtop10-22072026-mortgage-stress","tag-mortgages-stress","tag-mr-soltani","tag-negative-gearing","tag-negative-monthly-cash-flow","tag-no-change","tag-no-changes","tag-one-year","tag-only-15","tag-ourtop10-director-mansour-soltani","tag-ourtop10-mortgage-stress-report","tag-outer-suburban-growth-corridors","tag-owner-occupier-households","tag-people","tag-perth","tag-postcodes","tag-prosperity-snp-14072026","tag-reach","tag-relative-affordability","tag-rents-and-home-prices","tag-severe-financial-pressure","tag-shock-number","tag-shock-number-of-aussies-drowning-in-mortgage-stress-as-bills-outpace-income","tag-snapp-politics","tag-stubborn-inflation","tag-sweeping-housing-tax-changes","tag-sydney-and-melbourne","tag-target","tag-that-result","tag-the-30-major-economies","tag-the-80","tag-the-albanese-government","tag-the-city","tag-the-country","tag-the-economy","tag-the-election","tag-the-fastest-deterioration","tag-the-federal-budget","tag-the-financial-institution","tag-the-government","tag-the-international-monetary-fund","tag-the-latest-ourtop10-mortgage-stress-report","tag-the-latest-sky-news-pulse-yougov-poll","tag-the-nation","tag-the-national-cost-of-living-crisis","tag-the-number","tag-the-past-12-months","tag-the-political-debate","tag-the-reforms","tag-the-report","tag-the-wake","tag-the-worsening-mortgage-stress","tag-their-household-income","tag-their-means","tag-their-regular-expenses","tag-top-stories","tag-transport-and","tag-treasurer","tag-treasurer-jim-chalmers","tag-treasury","tag-utilities","tag-voters","tag-weak-growth","tag-worsening-conditions","tag-younger-people"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/817818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsb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