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Cheryl Arcibal

Australia’s tourism appeal and property price correction are reinforcing the case for mainland Chinese and Hong Kong investors to buy homes down under, according to agents.
Education had long been a major draw for many mainland and Hong Kong buyers, but the country’s tourist attractions, relaxed lifestyle and moderating property prices in major cities such as Sydney and Melbourne were burnishing its appeal as a top investment destination, agents said.
“Who wouldn’t like to look out from their window onto a view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Opera House?” said Kashif Ansari, co-founder and group CEO of proptech firm Juwai IQI.
“Among Western countries, Australia is one of the easiest to live in while staying in close touch with home. That’s because the time difference is just two or three hours, which is mild compared to North America or Europe.”
In 2025, more than 1 million mainland Chinese tourists visited Australia, up 17 per cent from 2024, according to data compiled by Tourism Australia, the government agency tasked with promoting the country as a premier destination.
Between July 2025 and March 2026, mainland Chinese buyers were the largest group of foreign investors in the Australian housing market, snapping up 638 residential units worth A$800 million (US$559 million), according to data from the country’s Treasury Department.
As of the first quarter of 2026, Australia was the most popular country with mainland Chinese buyers based on inquiries through Juwai IQI.

Much of the demand was anchored on families providing homes for children studying at universities there, Ansari said.
For the January to May period, there were nearly 170,000 mainland and Hong Kong students in Australia, according to the Department of Education.
“Often, young people expect to stay and work in Australia after they complete their degrees,” Ansari said. “Parents feel it’s worth giving them a secure place to live. For those with the means, it’s common to buy dual-key units or another completely separate unit, so their children have rental income as spending money.”
As of June, home prices in Sydney were down 2.1 per cent from their peak in November, while Melbourne prices were 3.2 per cent off their high in March 2022, according to market research company Cotality.
“For foreign buyers, higher interest rates and soft prices create an opportunity. More than half of buyers from China and Hong Kong purchase with cash,” Ansari said. “That means they’re not subject to the higher rates in Australia, but can still benefit from softer prices.”
Australia’s proximity to China also reinforced its attractiveness to mainland and Hong Kong buyers, said Michael Pallier, managing director of Sydney Sotheby’s International Realty.
“Mainland and Hong Kong buyers are attracted to Australia for a multitude of reasons,” Pallier said. “Australia offers incredible weather, access to beaches and harbours, stable currency and democracy, and world-class healthcare and schooling, on top of being only an eight- to nine-hour flight away.”
In his core selling area in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, Pallier estimated that mainland buyers had acquired about 30 per cent of trophy homes.
Beyond education, Australia’s stability was also drawing foreign investors into its shores, with mainland and Hong Kong buyers recognising its “safe-haven” appeal, said Felix Cheung, head of international residential at JLL in Hong Kong.
However, some barriers remain. These include a ban on acquisition of established dwellings until June 2029 and the requirement for prior approval from the Foreign Investment Review Board, which is processed by the Australian Taxation Office.
“Australia’s current policy is ‘selectively encouraging’,” Cheung said. “The government is encouraging only foreign investment that directly increases national housing supply [such as] new builds, build-to-rent projects or development land.”
Compared with markets such as Canada and Singapore, however, Australia was “much more welcoming” of foreign homebuyers, Juwai IQI’s Ansari said, adding that Canada had totally banned foreign purchases, while Singapore required buyers to pay 65 per cent stamp duty.
“Australia needs foreign capital to help build new housing and shrink the shortage,” he said. “That’s why foreign buyers are restricted to newly built homes.”


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Moderating prices and a relaxed lifestyle are among factors reinforcing Australia’s safe-haven appeal for foreign investors, agents say


Moderating prices and a relaxed lifestyle are among factors reinforcing Australia’s safe-haven appeal for foreign investors, agents say.


Tourism appeal adds to Australia’s edge in drawing mainland Chinese, Hong Kong homebuyers

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Moderating prices and a relaxed lifestyle are among factors reinforcing Australia’s safe-haven appeal for foreign investors, agents say

Moderating prices and a relaxed lifestyle are among factors reinforcing Australia’s safe-haven appeal for foreign investors, agents say