10-year capital growth by city (to mid-2026)
- Brisbane: +120.2%
- Adelaide: +111.9%
- Hobart: +95.6%
- Sydney: +57.5%
- Darwin: +32.0% (the weakest decade result among the tracked capitals)
- Melbourne: the softest-performing eastern capital over the period, well below Sydney's decade gain
- Perth: a later, sharper cycle — +91.4% over the past five years alone, reflecting a slower first half of the decade followed by a strong recent run
What drives a decade of growth
The strongest decade performers (Brisbane, Adelaide) combined sustained interstate migration inflows, comparatively affordable starting prices, and — more recently — infrastructure investment (Brisbane's 2032 Olympics pipeline is a frequently cited factor). Darwin's weak decade reflects a smaller, less liquid market more exposed to swings in the resources sector and lower population growth. Past performance across a full decade is a useful lens for understanding a market's structural drivers, but it isn't a guarantee of the next decade's performance — several forecasters explicitly expect some "mean reversion," where cities that ran hardest over the past decade cool while previously weaker markets pick up.
Using this for your own projections
Our Property Growth Calculator lets you model your own property at a growth rate you choose. A reasonable approach is to look at a property's specific city and decade-long track record as one input among several, rather than assuming the past decade's rate will repeat exactly — property cycles are long, and the drivers behind the strongest performers (migration, infrastructure, affordability) can and do shift over a 10-year horizon.
Sources
- Cotality (CoreLogic) Home Value Index, 10-year change
- ABS Residential Property Price Indexes