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The Carrie Bradshaw Index figures reported for Perth in October 2024 put rent at about 25% of salary in Cottesloe, West Leederville and Wembley, compared with about half in Girrawheen, Wilson and Murdoch. The contrast is about rent relative to local income—not a finding that rents in the first group were cheap in dollars or that the second group had the highest rents. The figures are a 2024 snapshot, not a verified current ranking.
What the Carrie Bradshaw Index measures
The index compares rent with income to estimate how much of a local earner’s income is taken up by housing costs. Ray White’s Australian adaptation uses average weekly income data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and median unit rents. It sets 30% of income as its affordability benchmark: a household spending no more than that share on rent meets the analysis’s threshold. Ray White’s methodology explains that Australian studio-specific rent data was unavailable, so its analysis uses unit rents rather than studio-only rents.
This is a private analysis, not an official government measure. Its original inspiration was an Economist comparison of income with the cost of renting a studio; the Australian version changes the rental measure to median unit rents. That distinction matters when interpreting the label and the numbers.
What the Perth figures said in 2024
In a report published on 28 October 2024, PerthNow said the index put renters in Cottesloe, West Leederville and Wembley at about 25% of salary spent on rent. It reported about half of income in Girrawheen, Wilson and Murdoch, describing Wilson and Murdoch as student-strong areas. PerthNow’s account of the figures does not establish that these ratios still hold or provide a current suburb ranking.
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Relative to the index’s 30% benchmark, the first three suburbs were below the threshold in the reported analysis, while the latter three were substantially above it. This says how rent compares with average local income under that methodology; it is not a measure of the financial circumstances of every individual renter.
Why higher-income suburbs can look more affordable
A rent-to-income ratio depends on both rent and income. If local incomes are high, rent can take a smaller share even when the weekly rent is expensive. Ray White points to the effect of higher local incomes and apartment supply in explaining why some affluent areas can rank as relatively affordable. Its explanation of the index makes clear why a low ratio should not be read as proof of low rents.
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PerthNow quoted Ray White economist Nerida Conisbee saying that in Cottesloe, “people with very high incomes live there and in comparison to these incomes, rents are quite affordable.” She also said, “For Australia, the Carrie Bradshaw index holds true.” Those comments explain the relative-income logic; they do not mean that Cottesloe is inexpensive for a renter whose income is below the suburb’s average.
A separate agent comparison is not the index result
PerthNow also reported that Caporn Young agent Liliana Talemaitoga observed tenants she placed in wealthier suburbs paying 23% of income on rent, compared with 36% in cheaper suburbs such as Gosnells. This is her own comparison of placements, not the same dataset or calculation as the index’s reported 25%-versus-about-half suburb figures. The two sets of numbers should not be combined into one ranking.
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What the reported asking rents can—and cannot—tell you
The same October 2024 report used listings to illustrate that similar weekly asking rents do not necessarily buy equivalent homes. It described a two-bedroom Cottesloe unit listed at $780 a week, a two-bedroom Subiaco unit at $650, and Cloverdale units listed at $650, $675 and “from $750.” It also compared a three-bedroom Wembley unit at $650 a week with a Balga townhouse at $615.
These were asking prices in a dated report, not verified current rents. The properties differed in size, bathrooms, parking, location and amenities; the Wembley and Balga examples also differed in distance and surrounding amenities. They are not controlled comparisons and cannot establish which suburb offers better value. The report’s examples illustrate why a renter should assess property features and location separately from an income-based affordability ratio.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to use the index when comparing suburbs
- Use the ratio for relative burden: it indicates how rent compares with local average income in the analysis, not what a particular household can afford.
- Check the actual weekly rent: a lower ratio can coexist with a high rent in dollars, especially where incomes are higher.
- Compare like with like: account for bedrooms, bathrooms, parking, property type, amenities and location before treating two asking rents as comparable.
- Separate dated findings from current decisions: the Perth figures cited here are from 2024, and the consulted material does not provide a 2026 refresh or the full underlying suburb-level dataset.
For a current personal decision, a suburb-level index is only one reference point. Your own rent-to-income share, the specific property’s asking rent and the features you need are separate considerations that the reported index does not settle.
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