There is just $30 difference between the median rent for a one-bedroom flat and a three-bedroom house in Melbourne.

The former is $350 per week while the latter is $380, according to new state government figures.

The Department of Health and Human Services’ rental report tracks rental listings and prices across Victoria every three months.

According to the latest report, the median rent is $290 in regional Victoria and $400 in Melbourne.

The report also breaks the data down into categories including location (regions and suburbs), housing type (unit or house) and number of rooms.

It provides a comprehensive insight into where people are renting, and for how much.

What are renters coughing up each week?

Why do apartments cost more than houses?

University of Melbourne post-doctoral research fellow Kate Raynor said “geographical distribution” played a major part in why one-bedroom units were almost as expensive to rent as three-bedroom houses.

Most smaller apartments would be in more expensive, inner-city areas, she said, while the majority of three-bedroom houses would be in cheaper, middle-to-outer ring suburbs.

But Dr Raynor said the data pointed to an affordability problem, particularly for single people.

“It’s really difficult for the most vulnerable type of person or household on a single, very low income or Newstart,” Dr Raynor said.

“There’s no affordable one-bedroom product,” she said. “It’s just not available.”

The report found just four out of every 1000 rental listings in Melbourne in the June quarter were affordable ($150 or less per week) for a single person on Newstart (a weekly income of $268).

Dr Raynor said inclusionary zoning — requiring a proportion of new developments to be affordable — would help tenants on low incomes.

What’s happening in regional Victoria?

Unsurprisingly, renting remains much more affordable in regional Victoria than in Melbourne.

There was little movement in median rents in the June quarter, with the most expensive median rent outside of the city sitting at $370 per week for four-bedroom houses.

The most expensive places to rent were Torquay, Barwon Heads, Ocean Grove and Geelong, while the most affordable towns were Morwell, Portland, Hamilton and Seymour.

Are rentals drying up in Victoria?

The number of new rental listings across the state fell by 2000 compared to the same time last year. The drop isn’t unprecedented, but it has homeless advocates worried.

Council to Homeless Persons chief executive Jenny Smith said fewer homes available to rent meant more competition for the few homes on the market.

“With less properties on the market, those who miss out will be the most disadvantaged and we already have 35,000 Victorians on the waiting list for public and community housing,” Ms Smith said.

Anything else?

Other interesting findings from the report: