For many nurses, the dream of home ownership feels like a distant goal. Rising house prices, heavy work rosters, and the challenge of balancing lifestyle with long-term financial planning can make buying a home near your hospital seem almost impossible. But there is another way, and it’s one that’s increasingly popular with professionals in healthcare.
The strategy is called rentvesting. Instead of buying where you want to live, you rent in a location that suits your lifestyle and work while investing in a suburb that delivers stronger long-term returns. It’s a way of separating your lifestyle needs from your wealth-building goals. And for nurses, who often juggle shift work, career mobility, and unpredictable hours, rentvesting can be the strategy that finally makes property work.
In this guide, Q Financial will explore why rentvesting is particularly suited to nurses, reveal the top four suburbs to rent near major hospitals, and highlight the top four suburbs to buy for growth and yield in 2025. Along the way, we’ll back it up with current data on prices, rents, yields, and market conditions so you can see exactly why certain locations make sense.
Before diving into specific suburbs, it’s important to understand why rentvesting lines up so well with the unique realities of nursing, and why separating lifestyle from investment can put you ahead.
Why Rentvesting Works Especially Well for Nurses
Rentvesting for nurses is not a one-size-fits-all strategy, but healthcare workers are uniquely placed to benefit from it. Here’s why:
1. Hospital proximity matters more than ownership pride
Nurses working 12-hour shifts, nights, or split rosters know that commuting long distances is more than an inconvenience. It can affect your wellbeing and safety. Renting close to your hospital precinct makes life manageable. You might pay more rent for that convenience, but you avoid sinking hundreds of thousands into a property with poor investment fundamentals.
2. Inner-city prices are unrealistic for most nurses’ incomes
In Sydney, the median rent for an apartment is now about $980 per week, while buying near hospital hubs like Camperdown or Randwick still demands well over $1 million for a modest unit. In Melbourne, Parkville units average around $500,000, but houses are far higher. These are lifestyle locations where renting is far more realistic than buying.
3. The investment hotspots are elsewhere
While inner-city hospital suburbs are fantastic for shift workers, they rarely deliver strong yields or affordable entry points. Regional centres like Toowoomba and Townsville are recording yields of 4–5% and vacancy rates under 1%, making them stronger choices for wealth building. By investing there, you let your property cash flow and grow, while you keep the lifestyle of renting near work.
4. Nursing careers are mobile
Many nurses move hospitals, rotate through specialties, or even relocate to other states for better opportunities. Buying in your current hospital suburb can tie you down, while rentvesting keeps you nimble. You can rent wherever your career takes you and keep your investment property running in the background.
With the benefits clear, the question becomes: where should nurses actually live to make day-to-day life easier, and which suburbs are better suited to buying as investments? Let’s start with the places worth renting for lifestyle and convenience.
Live Here: The Best Suburbs to Rent as a Nurse
These are some of the best suburbs for nurses to live in, offering convenience and lifestyle perks without the pressure of buying. They’re close to major hospitals, transport, and lifestyle perks. Renting here allows you to enjoy the convenience of proximity without overextending financially.
1. Camperdown, Sydney
- Lifestyle benefit: Home to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital and close to Newtown’s 24-hour cafés, live music, and food scene, it’s ideal for nurses on rotating rosters.
- 2025 snapshot: Units rent for around $770 per week, while houses rent for about $900 per week.
- Why rent, not buy: Buying in Camperdown means taking on high property prices for modest returns. Renting keeps costs predictable while still letting you live steps from work and nightlife.
2. Randwick, Sydney
- Lifestyle benefit: Easy access to Prince of Wales Hospital, Sydney Children’s Hospital, and UNSW, plus Coogee Beach minutes away for recovery time between shifts.
- 2025 snapshot: Units rent for around $850 per week, while houses rent for about $1,300 per week.
- Why rent, not buy: Buying in Randwick means million-dollar mortgages and heavy financial commitment. Renting keeps costs predictable while still letting you live close to hospitals and the beach.
3. Woolloongabba, Brisbane
- Lifestyle benefit: Surrounded by Mater and Princess Alexandra Hospitals, with late-night public transport and growing dining options. The Olympics redevelopment adds future lifestyle perks.
- 2025 snapshot: Units rent for around $700 per week, while houses rent for about $728 per week.
- Why rent, not buy: Buying in Woolloongabba ties up capital in an area with mixed growth. Renting keeps your costs steady while letting you enjoy hospital-side convenience and upcoming lifestyle upgrades.
4. Parkville, Melbourne
- Lifestyle benefit: Melbourne’s medical heart, with The Royal Melbourne Hospital, The Royal Women’s Hospital, and Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre all nearby, plus leafy streets and tram links.
- 2025 snapshot: Units rent for around $550 per week, while houses rent for about $1,100 per week.
- Why rent, not buy: Buying in Parkville means taking on high costs and limited supply. Renting keeps you flexible while living right next to Melbourne’s biggest hospitals.
Renting close to your hospital gives you safety, time, and lifestyle balance, but it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice long-term wealth. That’s where the investment side of rentvesting comes in, and some suburbs stand out in 2025 as strong options to buy.
Invest There: The Best Suburbs to Buy for Rentvesting
These suburbs to invest in 2025 in Australia balance affordable entry prices, strong tenant demand, low vacancies, and attractive rental yields. By choosing these areas, property investment for nurses becomes achievable while still renting closer to your workplace.
1. Toowoomba, Queensland
- Investment strength: Regional hub with large hospitals and universities attracting tenants, supported by affordable family housing.
- 2025 snapshot: Median house rent sits around $480 per week, with yields of about 4.0%. Units rent for $335 per week with yields of 4.5%. Median house prices hover near $685,000, while units sit at $425,000.
- Why invest here: Low vacancy and strong rental growth provide steady cash flow. Affordable prices and regional growth drivers back long-term value.
2. Townsville, Queensland
- Investment strength: Anchored by Townsville University Hospital, defence, and port operations, ensuring deep tenant demand.
- 2025 snapshot: Median unit price is around $462,500. Houses rent for $520 per week with yields of about 4.0%, while units rent for $550 per week with yields of 5.6%. Townsville has seen an annual compound growth rate of 14.4% for units.
- Why invest here: Affordability, strong yields, and regional growth make it one of Queensland’s most compelling investment plays.
3. Westmead, Sydney
- Investment strength: One of Australia’s largest hospital precincts with billions in upgrades and redevelopment.
- 2025 snapshot: Median house price is around $1,840,500, while units sit at $575,000. Houses rent for $700 per week with yields of about 2.2%, and units rent for $600 per week with yields of 5.4%. Westmead has seen an annual compound growth rate of 12.6% for houses and 1.8% for units.
- Why invest here: Unlike inner Sydney hubs, Westmead offers relatively affordable entry with high rental demand from healthcare workers and students.
4. Salisbury, South Australia
- Investment strength: Affordable northern Adelaide suburb with strong family demand and growing population.
- 2025 snapshot: Median house price is around $681,250, while units sit at $441,000. Houses rent for $550 per week with yields of about 4.2%, and units rent for $420 per week with yields of 4.7%. Salisbury has seen an annual compound growth rate of 15.0% for houses and 22.2% for units.
- Why invest here: Combines affordability with stable demand, making it a strong entry-level choice for first-time investors.
Pairing the right “live” suburb with the right “invest” suburb is where the strategy really shines. To see how it works in real life, here’s a practical example of how a nurse could structure their rent and investment choices side by side.
A Rentvest Scenario in Practice
Here’s a rentvesting example in Australia that shows how a nurse can balance renting near work and investing in a growth suburb.
Emma is a nurse at Mater Hospital in Brisbane. She values her short commute and safety when working late shifts, so she rents an apartment in Woolloongabba. It costs her around $700 a week, but it means she avoids long drives at 11 pm or 5 am, and she enjoys the café culture in her downtime.
Meanwhile, Emma buys an investment property in Toowoomba. With a purchase price under $700,000, she secures a house that rents for $550 per week. With a vacancy rate of just 0.5%, she knows tenants won’t be hard to find. The yield is higher than Brisbane inner-city units, and the market is showing steady capital growth.
By using a rentvesting strategy in Australia, Emma gets the best of both worlds: comfort and convenience now, and long-term wealth building for the future.
Of course, even the best strategy can go wrong without foresight. That’s why it’s just as important to understand the pitfalls that trip nurses up when they first start rentvesting.
Common Pitfalls Nurses Should Avoid
Understanding rentvesting pros and cons is key. While it’s powerful, nurses should watch out for these mistakes:
- Buying in your rental suburb: Lifestyle suburbs are rarely investment grade. They’re great to live in, but don’t offer the returns you need. Always separate your “where I want to live” list from your “where I should invest” list to avoid emotional purchases.
- Ignoring vacancy data: Yields are meaningless if your property sits empty. Always look for vacancy rates under 2%, ideally under 1%. Low vacancy rates also mean you can be more selective with tenants, reducing long-term management headaches.
- Overstretching budgets: Remember, you’ll be paying both rent and a mortgage. Structure it so that the cash flow is sustainable. Even small unexpected costs like strata levies or urgent repairs can unravel an overstretched budget.
- Overlooking safety and transport in your rental: A cheap rental far from your hospital might leave you unsafe after night shifts. Pay for the location where you live; economise where you invest. Think about whether your commute will feel safe at 2 am in scrubs, not just whether it looks affordable on paper.
- Not planning for mobility: Nurses often change hospitals or states. Choose investment suburbs where property management is reliable and market demand is strong. This ensures you’re not stuck with a property that only works if you stay in one location.
- Underestimating holding costs: Rates, insurance, property management fees, and maintenance can eat into your yield. Always run the numbers using conservative assumptions so you’re not caught off guard by hidden costs.
- Relying on short-term market hype: Hotspots can cool quickly if they’re based on speculation rather than fundamentals. Stick to areas supported by population growth, infrastructure, and stable industries like health or education.
- Failing to plan an exit strategy: Every property should have a clear “what next”: hold, refinance your property, or sell. Without a plan, you risk locking capital in the wrong place or missing opportunities to leverage equity into your next purchase.
Avoiding these mistakes is easier when you have the right support. Working with a nurse mortgage broker who understands healthcare incomes — including situations where nurses are managing a single income — and rentvesting strategies may help you make more informed, sustainable decisions as you structure your plan.
How a Mortgage Broker Helps Nurses Rentvest
Rentvesting requires careful loan structuring, especially for nurses with complex income streams. Here’s how we help:
- Understanding nurse pay: Overtime, shift penalties, and casual contracts. We know how to present these to lenders.
- Loan structuring: Setting up interest-only for investments and principal-and-interest for your own future home can maximise tax effectiveness.
- Access to health professional policies: Some lenders offer reduced deposit or LMI waivers for healthcare workers.
- Scenario modelling: We compare your rent and mortgage payments side by side to ensure the strategy is cash-flow safe.
- Suburb analysis: We help you weigh the lifestyle benefits of where you rent against the long-term numbers of where you buy.
With clear advice and careful planning from a trusted mortgage broker on the Gold Coast, rentvesting stops being overwhelming and starts becoming empowering. That brings us to the big picture: how this strategy helps nurses live well today and invest for tomorrow.
Live Where You Need, Invest Where It Grows
Nurses give so much of themselves to their patients, and your home strategy should give back to you. Rentvesting means you don’t have to choose between lifestyle and financial security.
You can rent near your hospital to support your career and wellbeing, while investing in a suburb that builds your wealth for the future.
If you’re considering rentvesting, reach out to Q Financial today. As your mortgage broker, we’ll help you balance renting and investing, structure your borrowing power, and identify suburbs that align with both your career and your long-term financial goals.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Usually no. The Home Guarantee Scheme requires you to live in the property as your principal place of residence for a minimum period. If you buy and rent it out straight away, you generally will not meet the rules. If rentvesting is your goal, consider saving a larger deposit or using LMI strategically instead of relying on the guarantee.
Most lenders average variable income over 6 to 12 months, then shade it to be conservative. They may include overtime and penalties if they are regular and well evidenced by payslips, income statements, and sometimes an employer’s letter. A longer history helps. If your roster has changed, we can help present your file so your true earning pattern is clear.
It can improve short-term cash flow while you pay rent elsewhere, but the loan balance does not reduce during the interest-only period. You need buffers for rate rises and a plan for when repayments revert to principal and interest. Paired with an offset account and a clear review date, it may suit a rentvesting strategy. We can model both paths.
Negative gearing can reduce your tax bill, which helps overall affordability. Lenders, however, mostly assess pre-tax cash flow using their buffers, so the benefit to borrowing capacity is often limited. Treat negative gearing as a potential tax outcome, not the reason to buy. Focus first on vacancy risk, yield, and your ability to hold the property through cycles.
New units may offer stronger depreciation and lower maintenance early on, but body corporate fees and supply risk can reduce returns. Established houses often have better land value and flexibility for improvements, which can support capital growth. The right choice depends on yield, vacancy, and your budget. Compare total holding costs, not just the headline price or tax perks.
