A rare uniform price of $88k reaches Townsville houses, units

An extraordinary increase of almost $88,000 for all houses, units and all dwellings has seen Townsville households earn more than the average worker over the past year – leading to a decade-long decline.

The unusually uniform increase showing unprecedented demand across the housing sector is reflected in the latest PropTrack Home Price Index, as of Monday, homes rose to $88,040, units rose $87,704 and the overall market jumped $88,223 over the past 12 months.

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REA Group senior economist Eleanor Creagh.

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A three-bedroom house on an 807 sqm block at 27 Samantha Street, Kelso, sold for $580,000 on February 25, 2026.

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Units led the market growth in Townsville, rising 21.81 per cent to push the median to $489,844, while houses rose 15.61 per cent to $652,623. All residences combined rose 16.71 percent to $615,880.

REA Group Chief Economist Eleanor Creagh said prices in Townsville and Cairns may have increased significantly this year but are still growing in double digits.

“It is a normal part of the market cycle after it has been among the best regions in the country in terms of growth for many years,” he said.

“Growth is moderate compared to previous momentum, but still high. Cairns is still recording double-digit annual growth. Townsville is still very hot, annual growth approaching 17 per cent. It’s 14 per cent in Cairns. This is still very strong, especially in the context of the country’s rise.”

The chairman of the Real Estate Institute of Queensland’s Townsville zone, Benjamin Kingsberry, said the price increase was “definitely a lot higher” but the market was still recovering from the previous 10th fall.

“From about 2009 to about 2019, the market just bounced back. We had a high number of vacancies. We had an underperforming market for a long time. What we’re seeing now is a correction.”

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REIQ Townsville zone chairman Ben Kingsberry. Photo: Leighton Smith.

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A four-bedroom house at 11 Dommett Street, Wulguru – with stables set on a 1,012 sqm block – sold for $599,000 on February 26, 2026.

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He said the units were outnumbering the houses by a percentage because they were behind for years.

“Houses went up a few years before units started to see that growth. We’ve certainly seen a lot of focus on the unit market in recent times, it’s really based on affordability and the fact that five years ago, it was really affordable for first-time buyers to buy a decent quality home, in a reasonably good location and now, if you’re a first-time home buyer, we’re looking more at that.”

He said for buyers who are considering putting their homes on the market, the time is right.

“If you’re looking to sell it in the next 12 months, or the next few years, my advice is that it’s probably a good time to look at it. We don’t know what it’s going to look like in 12 months.

He said buyers in this market must have strategies to be able to compete.

“It’s not just the price, we usually sell houses not for the highest price, but for the one with the best terms,” ​​said Mr Kingsberry.

“If I wanted, say, $600,000 on the house, and they got another offer of $610,000 but with conditions on it, our advice to the seller would usually be to strongly consider $600,000 because it’s less risky.”

Mr. Kingsberry said that southern buyers who are paying cash have been driving growth for years because they see value long before the locals do.

“As recently as a few years ago, they were looking at markets like ours to buy four-bed, two-bath houses for $400,000 or $450,000 that would cost $600,000 to build. They just looked at it differently.

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