Global brands have almost tripled investment into Australia’s luxury property market

Australia’s luxury development market has nearly tripled over the last decade, with global brands ramping up investment within the country ahead of the upcoming Olympic Games.

The latest Residence Report by property firm Knight Frank found Australia would have more than 1,000 boutique developments made by globally recognised brands by the end of 2026, compared to just 354 in 2015.

Global branded developments are projects made for hundreds of millions of dollars across the country, constructed by internationally renowned brands such as PRD and Lendlease.

These luxury buildings include the Mondrian and the Langham in the Gold Coast, Sanctuary and Capella Residences in Brisbane, One Circular Quay in Sydney and the Jam Factory redevelopment in Melbourne.

The redevelopment of the Jam Factory in Melbourne is one of these projects, where global brands sink millions into creating luxury residences with a high price tag.

Partnering with Knight Frank on the project, McGrath head of international and private clients Adam Ross said Australia was set to have the same luxury growth seen across North America, Europe and Asia.

“Developments like One Circular Quay show there is already a sophisticated buyer pool seeking the type of lifestyle and service offering typically associated with branded residences around the world,” he said.

“Buyers are willing to pay a premium for exceptional design, world-class amenity, hotel-style concierge services and iconic locations.”

Adam Ross of McGrath Estate Agents said Australia’s boutique branded development market had nearly tripled over the past decade.

“Developments like One Circular Quay show there is already a sophisticated buyer pool … willing to pay a premium for exceptional design”.

The report revealed just how many homes the richest of the rich have. The world’s ‘ultra-high-net-worth individuals’ now own an average of 3.8 homes per person, compared to 2.9 homes less than a decade ago.

Brisbane was named in the report as one of Asia-Pacific’s fastest-rising prime residential locations, thanks to growing infrastructure ahead of the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Around 60 per cent of Australia’s branded residence developments were being earmarked for Queensland compared to the rest of the country, and at least three more are expected to be announced across Australia in the next 12 months.

Capella Residences Brisbane is one of the many projects coming to Queensland, earmarked for a huge rise in luxury branded projects ahead of the Olympic Games.

“As local residents trade up and affluent Sydney and Melbourne buyers secure second homes, South East Queensland is emerging as a destination for more sophisticated living,” Mr Ross said.

Internationally, the Gold Coast and Perth ranked eighth and tenth globally on the cities with the largest percentage of price growth in the past five years.

Meanwhile, Sydney had the 6th most residential sales valued at $10m USD and over, coming in at 2,480 sales in the last year before Q1 2026.

The report claimed the world’s luxury branded residential sector was set to double once again within the next five years.