Property data is pointing towards an increasingly expensive housing market across Queensland in 2026, even as price growth moderates in the big southern capitals.

Cotality Research Director Tim Lawless said it was a great time for property owners, but becoming more difficult for those who were trying to get into the market.

"If you own a home, that's great news. But if you don't, it's probably becoming increasingly frustrating, how fast values are rising and how much it costs to get your foot in the door," Mr Lawless said.

"Brisbane is extraordinarily unaffordable now."

Brisbane's property values increased by 1.6 per cent in December alone. That equates to an average of almost $16,000 per property — across both houses and units.

By comparison, Sydney and Melbourne were the biggest drag on the headline growth, with values sliding 0.1 per cent lower. The decline in values across Australia's two largest cities marked the first month-on-month fall since January last year.

CoreLogic's Tim Lawless says some investors are looking to invest outside the ACT.  (ABC News: Nickoles Coleman)

"Brisbane has gone from being a market that's around the middle-to-lower end of the pack for affordability, to one that's now getting pretty close to one of the most unaffordable markets," Mr Lawless said.

"And the annual growth rate for Brisbane, at 14.5 per cent, implies the market is up about $131,000 over the year."

He said the unit sector was rising most rapidly, reflecting more buyers looking at apartments at lower price points than houses.

"We're also seeing more investment in south-east Queensland and investors do tend to be more active in the apartment sector," Mr Lawless said.

"As well as the ongoing undersupply, we're not seeing much building happening across the housing market overall."

In Greater Brisbane, the 10 biggest increases were recorded in Springwood-Kingston (19.5 per cent), Sunnybank, Nathan, Rocklea-Acacia Ridge, Forest Lake-Oxley, Inner Ipswich, Chermside, Capalaba, Mt Gravatt, and Strathpine (16.1 per cent).

Regional Growth

Regional areas west of the state's capital were the biggest winners among Queensland's regional markets, with homes on the Granite Belt now boasting an average value of $592,873 — a 20.4 per cent increase over 12 months.

"Toowoomba, the Granite Belt, the eastern area of the Darling Downs — they've all seen housing values rise between 18 and 20 per cent over the past 12 months," Mr Lawless said.

"Markets like Charters Towers also have seen a really strong rate of growth — up 16 per cent. South of Cairns, Central Highlands — including Emerald — and Maryborough. They're all in the top 10 growth regions."