The new Retail Property Australia report, Spend Signals, using transaction data from CommBank iQ, builds a spend map of greater Sydney that captures geographic spend trends, the type of consumer driving them today, and where tomorrow’s momentum will come from.
Food catering growth in Fairfield (+13.2 per cent), Auburn (+13.1 per cent), Canterbury (+13.1 per cent), Parramatta (+12.0 per cent) and Merrylands-Guildford (+12.0 per cent) is now outpacing many eastern and northern Sydney areas where dining out has traditionally led spending patterns, signalling changing spending habits across some of the city’s fastest-growing communities.
Retail Property Australia Executive Director William Power said the findings reveal a broader shift in how Sydney consumers are spending and can inform how retail precincts best meet the needs of local communities.
“The pantry line gives us a new lens on Sydney’s retail economy. Traditionally, we’ve seen a higher dining out spend concentrated in the inner city and eastern suburbs, but we’re seeing that behaviour spread into growth corridors across western Sydney.
“As communities grow, attract new jobs and become more established, spending patterns evolve with them. The data shows that change is already underway.”
The report finds Sydney’s highest spending markets remain concentrated in affluent eastern and northern suburbs, led by Eastern Suburbs-North ($2,293 per person per month), Manly ($2,199) and North Sydney-Mosman ($2,113). However, the strongest spending growth is occurring on the other side of the city in Canterbury (+9.4 per cent), Parramatta (+7.8 per cent) and Marrickville-Sydenham-Petersham (+7.7 per cent).
The next wave of spending is also younger. While 30 to 49-year-olds remain Sydney’s biggest spenders, consumers under 30 are the fastest-growing spending cohort in 89 per cent of Sydney markets analysed, led by Canterbury, Leichhardt, Carlingford and Auburn.
The findings come as consumers face ongoing cost of living pressures including the further tightening of monetary policy.
NSW’s spend growth (+5.1%) is trending below the national rate (+5.3%). Sydney is doing proportionally more to carry that state number than Melbourne is for Victoria: Sydney sits 0.4 points above the NSW average (5.5% vs 5.1%), while Melbourne’s gap over Victoria is only 0.2 points (5.6% vs 5.4%).
Across Australia, retail spending growth remains broad-based, led by Food Catering (+8.5 per cent), General Retail (+8.4 per cent), Jewellery, Watches and Luxury (+7.6 per cent), Retail Services (+6.4 per cent) Leisure (+6.1 per cent).
“More budget conscious consumers and changing preferences will drive change in the spend map over time, influencing how physical retail spaces best cater to their needs,” William Power said.
” Understanding which communities are growing, how younger consumers are spending and how retail habits are changing is important for retail investors and property owners planning for the future.”
The Spend Signals report findings will be discussed at the NSW Retail Summit on 22 September.
*All figures use CommBank iQ Transaction Data (Average monthly retail spend per capita, May-Jul 2026; YoY growth vs. May-Jul 2025)
