Capital city · ACT

House prices in Canberra: June quarter 2026 and stamp duty

Australian Bureau of Statistics, Total Value of Dwellings, June quarter 2026 (preliminary). Area figure: median price of established houses sold in the quarter.

In short

In the June quarter 2026, the median price of an established house sold in Canberra was $1,030,000 (+3% over a year), and $615,000 for a unit or other attached dwelling. At $1,030,000, general conveyance duty in ACT is $38,870, before any first home buyer or owner-occupier concession.

Calculate for Canberra

If you buy

Conveyance duty and fees in Canberra (ACT)

Rates of ACT Revenue Office, set at the median house ($1,030,000). Change any field: the amounts are recalculated instantly.

Rates appliedNon owner-occupier rates
Conveyance duty$38,870
Share of the price3.77%
Foreign purchaser surcharge—
FIRB application fee—
Transfer registration fee$496
Total of the amounts computed$39,366

Residential purchase by an individual. Not included: conveyancer, building inspection and lender fees (no official scale), the First Home Owner Grant. No mortgage figure: Payotte has no official Australian mortgage rate to apply. All the rates and sources.

If you sell

Capital gain and capital gains tax

Same rule in every state: capital gains tax is federal. Your main residence is exempt.

Capital gain$300,000
CGT discount50% (held 12 months or more)
Added to your taxable income$150,000
Tax on itat your marginal rate (not computed)

The net capital gain is added to your taxable income for the year and taxed at your marginal rate: the tax depends on your other income. Australian resident individual, sale before 1 July 2027 (section 115-100). Change from 1 July 2027 (Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026, No. 49 of 2026, assented 26 June 2026): for an Australian resident individual who holds the property on 30 June 2027 and sells it later, the gain up to that date keeps the 50% discount (deemed sale at market value just before 1 July 2027, section 112-155); the gain from 1 July 2027 gets cost base indexation instead (section 110-36), except on a new residential dwelling, which keeps the 50% discount (section 115-102). A 30% minimum tax on some capital gains also starts (Division 119). Not computed here.

Example: an investment property bought for $700,000 and sold for $1,000,000 after five years. Costs of the cost base are yours to enter (no official scale). Rules: Income Tax Assessment Act 1997, sections 115-25, 115-100 and 118-110; change from 1 July 2027: Treasury Laws Amendment (Tax Reform No. 1) Act 2026. Details in the guide to capital gains tax on your main residence.

Canberra in context

Among the eight capital cities, Canberra is 3rd from the top for a median established house, at $1,030,000: $125,000 below Brisbane and $20,000 above Perth. Its +3% over a year is 6th of eight on growth.

A unit or other attached dwelling sold for a median $615,000, 40.3% below a house. 9,706 homes changed hands here (June quarter 2025 to March quarter 2026), all of the territory's sales.

General duty on that median house is $38,870, 3.8% of the price; among the capital cities Payotte can compute that is the lowest share, and an eligible first home buyer would pay no duty at all.

In Australian Capital Territory, the cooling-off period is 5 working days, and backing out costs 0.25% of the price, land tax starts at no threshold; fixed fee of $1,693 (2025-26) and first home buyer relief has no value limit.

The other seven capital cities, set against Canberra (ABS, June quarter 2026)
Capital cityMedian houseAgainst CanberraOver a yearGrowth gap
Sydney$1,487,600+44.4%-2.1%-5.1 pts
Brisbane$1,155,000+12.1%+18.8%+15.8 pts
Perth$1,010,000-1.9%+18.8%+15.8 pts
Adelaide$975,000-5.3%+13.2%+10.2 pts
Melbourne$850,000-17.5%+1.2%-1.8 pts
Darwin$752,500-26.9%+21.4%+18.4 pts
Hobart$750,000-27.2%+4.9%+1.9 pts

The questions, answered

What is the median house price in Canberra?

The median price of the established houses sold in Canberra was $1,030,000 in the June quarter 2026, +3% over a year (ABS Total Value of Dwellings, preliminary).

How much does a unit or apartment cost in Canberra?

The median price of attached dwellings (units, apartments, townhouses) sold in Canberra was $615,000 in the June quarter 2026, +1.7% over a year, against $1,030,000 for a house (ABS).

How much stamp duty on a median house ($1,030,000) in Canberra?

On $1,030,000, general transfer duty in Canberra (ACT) is $38,870; an eligible first home buyer pays none (subject to the scheme conditions), at the rates in force on 14 October 2026.

How much tax when you sell a home in Canberra?

Capital gains tax is federal: the same rule applies in Canberra as across Australia. A main residence is exempt (section 118-110). On an investment property held 12 months or more and sold before 1 July 2027, half the gain counts: a $300,000 gain adds $150,000 to taxable income, taxed at the seller's marginal rate. The calculator above shows the foreign-resident cases and the 1 July 2027 change.

How many homes sell in Canberra?

9,706 homes changed hands in Canberra from the June quarter 2025 to March quarter 2026 (4,584 houses and 5,122 attached dwellings), the latest four revised quarters (ABS).

Is Canberra expensive?

Canberra ranks 3rd of the eight capital cities for the median price of established houses sold in the June quarter 2026, from $1,487,600 in Sydney to $750,000 in Hobart (ABS).

More on the tax when you sell: capital gains tax and your main residence.

The figures, June quarter 2026

MeasureValueOver a year
Median price, established houses sold$1,030,000+3%
Median price, attached dwellings sold$615,000+1.7%
Homes changing hands, June quarter 2025 to March quarter 20269,706—
Australian Capital Territory: mean price, all dwellings$981,700+3%

A median of houses sold and a mean of the whole housing stock measure different things: do not compare them. The latest quarter is preliminary and may be revised.

Elsewhere in Australian Capital Territory

Sources