Shares vs. property: It's an age-old debate as to which investment is best, and if you happen to own both and want to monitor the monthly performance of each, we've got you covered.
The latest data from CoreLogic reveals the median Australian house price increased by 0.5% in January. That's up on December's 0.4% rise but down from the 0.7% growth seen in November.
CoreLogic research director Tim Lawless said house values continued to rise faster than unit values. The price gap between the house and apartment medians rose to a record high of 45.2% in January.
Despite high interest rates and cost-of-living pressures, Lawless said property sales volumes remained elevated due to strong migration (518,000 people net in 2023) and an extremely tight rental market likely incentivising renters to buy.
Recent data from the Bureau of Statistics backs this up. The number of loans written for first-home buyers increased by 20% over the 12 months to November 2023.
Shares vs. property price growth in January
Here is how shares vs. property performed in terms of price growth in the month of January.
| Property market | Median house price | Price growth in January | 12-month price growth |
| Sydney | $1,400,630 | 0.2% | 12.5% |
| Melbourne | $948,041 | (0.4%) | 3.8% |
| Brisbane | $875,991 | 1% | 13.3% |
| Adelaide | $763,606 | 1.3% | 8.6% |
| Perth | $691,100 | 1.6% | 15.6% |
| Hobart | $700,810 | (0.5%) | (1.1%) |
| Darwin | $578,741 | 0.5% | (0.2%) |
| Canberra | $967,864 | 0% | 1% |
| Regional New South Wales | $739,067 | 0.2% | 2.4% |
| Regional Victoria | $598,608 | 0% | (1.7%) |
| Regional Queensland | $615,169 | 0.3% | 8.6% |
| Regional South Australia | $398,915 | 0.4% | 9.6% |
| Regional Western Australia | $477,690 | 0.8% | 8.2% |
| Regional Tasmania | $528,046 | (0.6%) | (0.2%) |
| Regional Northern Territory | $446,345 | 1.8% | (4%) |
Source: CoreLogic
Top 5 risers of the ASX 200 in January
The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) appreciated by 1.18% in January.
According to CommSec data, these ASX 200 shares below were the top risers of the month.
| ASX 200 share | Share price growth in January |
| Boss Energy Ltd (ASX: BOE) | 38.21% |
| Megaport Ltd (ASX: MP1) | 38.15% |
| Paladin Energy Ltd (ASX: PDN) | 31.47% |
| Alumina Limited (ASX: AWC) | 28.73% |
| Elders Ltd (ASX: ELD) | 19.26% |
Source: CommSec
Check out how ASX shares vs. property performed in 2023 here.
