Property prices across New South Wales' Hunter Region recorded stronger growth than the Sydney market throughout 2025, with one local city achieving the state's highest median price increase.
Maitland Leads Statewide Price Surge
Fresh data from property analytics firm Cotality shows the median dwelling price in Maitland jumped by a substantial 15.2 per cent over the calendar year, reaching $869,094. This was the largest growth recorded in any Statistical Area Level 3 (SA3) region across the entire state.
The Lower Hunter area, encompassing parts of Cessnock, Singleton, and Dungog, also featured among the top ten regional performers in NSW. Its median price climbed 11.1 per cent to settle at $742,343.
Hunter Valley Outperforms Newcastle and Sydney
The figures highlight a broader trend where the Hunter Valley, outside of Newcastle, saw its median dwelling price rise by 11 per cent in 2025. This growth rate exceeded the 9.6 per cent annual increase recorded in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie and was nearly double the 5.8 per cent rise seen across Greater Sydney.
By the final day of 2025, the median home price in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie had surpassed the $1 million mark. For the rest of the Hunter Region, the median price was above $800,000.
The surge in the Hunter Valley was primarily driven by house prices, which leapt 12 per cent over the year to a median of $833,555. In contrast, unit prices in the same area saw a modest annual increase of 0.6 per cent, reaching $584,006, though unit sales finished the year strongly with a 4.8 per cent rise in the December quarter.
In Newcastle and Lake Macquarie, the median house price increased 9.8 per cent to $1,047,972, while unit prices grew 8.2 per cent to $774,227.
Market Softening and 2026 Forecast
The national picture showed a slight softening at year's end, with prices dipping by 0.1 per cent in both Sydney and Melbourne during December. Cotality's Research Director, Tim Lawless, suggested this hinted at a weaker start to housing trends in 2026.
"Renewed speculation that the rate-cutting cycle is over and the next move from the RBA could be a hike has dented housing confidence," Mr Lawless said.
The property insights platform predicts that price growth in 2026 is unlikely to match the strong gains of 2025, citing ongoing uncertainty around inflation and interest rate settings. However, Cotality does not expect home values to trend substantially lower, as a material increase in housing supply is considered unlikely in the coming year.
