In some cases, several low-income groups are far in excess of the 30-per-cent threshold, such as single pensioners, single people on income support, and single part-time workers with children.

National Shelter’s biannual Rental Affordability Index, to be released on Wednesday, shows Hobart continues to be the least affordable capital city to live in, after Sydney.

Shelter Tas executive officer Pattie Chugg said this was due to the state’s lower incomes but rising rents.

She said Hobart rents had increased by 14 per cent and 9 per cent in Launceston over 12 months.

The index showed that the median rental household in regional Tasmania has a gross annual income, while in greater Hobart, income was averaged out at $60,900.

The report noted the average household seeking to rent would be facing rent levels at about 25 per cent of its income outside Hobart.

A single pensioner in greater Hobart had 45 per cent of their income go towards rent while their regional Tasmanian equivalent spent 33 per cent on rent.

For a pensioner couple, 35 per cent was spent on rent in greater Hobart and 26 per cent across the rest of Tasmania.

A single person on government benefits spent 68 per cent of that on renting in greater Hobart and 51 per cent across the rest of Tasmania.

A single parent who worked part-time spent 43 per cent of their income on renting in greater Hobart and 31 per cent in regional parts of the state.

A single-income couple with children spent 21 per cent of their takings on greater Hobart rent and 16 per cent in other parts of Tasmania.

A dual-income couple with children spent 8 per cent of their earnings on renting in regional Tasmania.

Ms Chugg said about 40 per cent of renters on low incomes suffered rental stress in Tasmania.

This equated to about 8000 households.

Rental stress is defined when people have difficulty paying for food, heating, medicine and transport after covering rent.

Shelter Tas executive committee member, John Stubley, said the lack of affordable housing was the single biggest cause of homelessness.

“Our homelessness services report they are finding it increasingly difficult to find affordable rentals for their clients,” he said.

“The index shows that even those households on average incomes are finding private rents bordering on unaffordability.”