What we found
- Sydney is close to a tie. About 86,000 new apartments and 83,000 new houses, August 2021 to April 2026.
- Perth isn't even close. About 56,700 new houses against 7,100 apartments, eight to one.
- Melbourne builds four houses for every apartment. About 179,800 new houses and 44,300 apartments over the same years.
- Brisbane sits in between. About 57,400 new houses and 34,500 apartments, nearly two to one.
Our research: Housing supply and what it means for prices
The story: is Sydney building more units or houses?
From August 2021 to April 2026, Sydney added about 86,000 new apartments and 83,000 new houses. That is close to an even split, and no other big city comes near it.
The mix has moved year by year. In 2025, Sydney added about 20,700 new houses and 10,000 new apartments. So the newest homes lean towards houses again.
Where are Sydney's new homes going?
The new houses are on the city's edge. Austral added about 5,200 from August 2021 to April 2026. Box Hill added about 3,800, Oran Park 2,300 and Leppington 1,900.
The new apartments cluster near the city and the train lines. Zetland added about 1,900 and Parramatta about 1,600 over the same years. In Parramatta, one tower at 116 Macquarie Street holds 455 apartments, all on the register in July 2025.
How do Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth compare?
Melbourne added about 179,800 new houses and 44,300 apartments from August 2021 to April 2026. That is about four houses for every apartment. Clyde North led with about 9,800 new houses, then Tarneit with 8,200 and Wollert with 7,200.
Melbourne's new apartments sit close to the city. The city centre added about 2,900, South Melbourne 2,500 and Docklands 1,500.
Brisbane added about 57,400 new houses and 34,500 apartments, nearly two to one. Perth added about 56,700 new houses and 7,100 apartments, eight to one. Adelaide added about 54,800 new houses and 8,800 apartments, about six to one.
How we made this reel
- We counted every new home address. Each new house or apartment on the national address register is one home.
- Each home is dated when it first appears. The count runs from August 2021 to April 2026.
- Then we placed every home on the map. Houses are dots, and each apartment building rises as one block.
An apartment building counts once for each apartment in it. Address records added in bulk can arrive a little after a building is finished, so a single year can run high or low.
What it means for you
- Check what is going up around you. A new tower two streets away changes the rent and resale next door.
- Read the mix, not just the count. A suburb filling with apartments competes with your unit for tenants.
- Look before the cranes arrive. Development applications show what is planned years before anyone moves in.
Where to see it on Microburbs
- Development, in every suburb report. Open Development to see the applications lodged, each with its address and date.
- New homes on the map. The report shows where new houses and apartments have gone up, street by street.
See development in Parramatta →
Get the data
The data behind this reel, for any suburb, is live in our API. Bondi, Sydney had 505 development applications lodged from 13 May 2020 to 4 November 2026. The newest, on 4 November 2026, is for a cafe and shops at 222 Bondi Road.
Try it now, free. This request is free for our sample suburbs, one in each state and territory, with no sign up and no card:
curl "https://api.microburbs.com.au/v1/suburbs/Bondi/development/applications" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer test"
What it sent back on 11 November 2026, cut to one application:
{
"data": {
"area_name": "Bondi",
"area_level": "suburb",
"total": 100,
"total_available": 505,
"min_date": "2020-05-13",
"max_date": "2026-11-04",
"categories": [
{ "category": "New Dwelling", "count": 2 },
{ "category": "Renovation", "count": 39 },
{ "category": "Demolition", "count": 10 }
],
"applications": [
{
"title": "Change of use to a cafe, restaurant, retail shop and studio, and associated fitout works.",
"address": "222 Bondi Road, Bondi NSW 2026",
"date": "2026-11-04",
"category": "Commercial",
"council": "Waverley Council",
"council_reference": "DA-374/2026"
}
]
}
}
See the full API docs for every request, the price of each and how to get a key for the rest of Australia.
See what's being built in your suburb
Every Microburbs suburb report shows the development applications, the new homes and the mix going up around you.
