Market insight

Ipswich and Moreton Bay house prices are climbing faster than the state average

In the March 2026 quarter, Ipswich's median house price grew faster than Queensland's own statewide rate, and Moreton Bay broke through the $1.05 million mark. Here is what the numbers actually show, and why the gap to Brisbane still matters for buyers.

General information only, not financial advice. Published: 9 July 2026.

Ipswich's median house price just passed $900,000

Ipswich's median house price reached $901,825 in the March 2026 quarter, according to the REIQ Queensland Market Monitor. That is a rise of 5.23 per cent over the quarter and 17.28 per cent over the year. Both figures beat the state as a whole: Queensland's own median house price climbed to $990,000 in the same March 2026 quarter, up 4.21 per cent for the quarter, per the same REIQ report. In percentage terms, Ipswich's quarterly growth is outrunning the statewide average, even though its median dollar figure remains below it.

The growth is not happening in isolation. Ipswich added 9,138 new residents in 2024/25, a 3.5 per cent population increase in the year to 30 June 2025, making it Queensland's fastest-growing city, according to Ipswich First (citing ABS and QGSO data via .id). More people arriving each year keeps steady pressure under housing demand, which is one of the things the price data over the following months tends to reflect.

Moreton Bay breaks through the $1.05 million mark

North of Brisbane, Moreton Bay recorded the strongest quarterly growth of the major Brisbane-region council areas in the March 2026 quarter. Its median house price rose 5.3 per cent to reach $1,053,000, again per the REIQ Queensland Market Monitor for that quarter. That is now the highest of the growth-corridor medians covered here, and it also outpaced Queensland's 4.21 per cent quarterly rise over the same three months.

A council area moving from below to above the seven-figure mark in a single quarter is a meaningful shift for anyone budgeting around a purchase in that corridor, particularly around the Morayfield and Caboolture end of Moreton Bay, where growth-corridor housing supply has been concentrated.

Brisbane is still the pricier benchmark

Brisbane's median house value was recorded at $1,232,690 in May 2026, up 0.8 per cent for the month, 3.3 per cent for the quarter and 18.6 per cent for the year, according to the Cotality Home Value Index. That is a different month to the REIQ figures above, so the two data sets should not be read as one single snapshot. But taken on their own terms, the gap is stark: Brisbane's $1,232,690 median (May 2026) sits well over $300,000 above Ipswich's $901,825 (March 2026 quarter), and around $180,000 above Moreton Bay's $1,053,000 (also March 2026 quarter).

That gap is the practical story for a buyer weighing up where a house budget stretches furthest in South-East Queensland right now. Two different months, but the same direction: the growth corridors remain the cheaper entry point by a wide margin, even as they grow at a faster quarterly pace than the state average.

What this means if you are house-hunting in the corridors

None of this means prices in Ipswich or Moreton Bay are static. Both are growing faster, quarter on quarter, than Queensland's own statewide rate, and both are doing it from a lower base than Brisbane. For a buyer who has been priced out of the inner city, that combination, faster growth plus a lower entry point, is exactly why demand keeps shifting outward rather than back toward the capital.

The takeaway

Two different months of data point the same direction. Ipswich's median house price grew 5.23 per cent and Moreton Bay's grew 5.3 per cent in the March 2026 quarter, both ahead of Queensland's own 4.21 per cent quarterly rise, while Brisbane's median sat at $1,232,690 in May 2026, over $300,000 above Ipswich's March 2026 figure. Faster growth from a lower base is exactly why buyers keep looking past Brisbane toward these corridors, not away from them.

Frequently asked questions

General information only. Market data is indicative, sourced as noted and accurate to the date shown; it is not a forecast or a guarantee of returns. Nothing here is financial, tax or legal advice. Eligibility for concessions depends on your circumstances; obtain advice from your accountant or a licensed specialist before buying.