Office Space in Australia's AI Hubs: Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane Compared
What flexible office space costs in six of Australia's AI districts today, how much is available, and which kind of team each one suits.
Australia's artificial intelligence companies are concentrated in its three largest cities. According to the National AI Centre and CSIRO's 2025 AI ecosystem report, the biggest clusters of AI companies are in Melbourne's CBD, central Sydney and Brisbane, and JLL estimates that around three quarters of the country's AI companies are based in Sydney or Melbourne. OpenAI and Anthropic have both opened Sydney offices in the past year.
If your team works in AI, or wants to be near the companies that do, this guide compares flexible office space in six districts across the three cities: what it costs today, how much is available and which kind of team each suits. Prices come from live listings on Rubberdesk and update as the market moves.
- The six districts at a glance
- Sydney CBD
- Tech Central, Sydney
- Melbourne CBD
- Cremorne, Melbourne
- Brisbane CBD
- Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
- What AI companies look for in an office
- How to choose between them
The six districts at a glance
| District | Median private office, per desk per month | Desks available | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney CBD | $1,107 | 2,145 | Established teams that want a prestige address and room to grow |
| Tech Central, Sydney | around $810 | around 900 | Start-ups and scale-ups that want to be among Sydney's tech companies |
| Melbourne CBD | $660 | 3,354 | Teams of any size that want the widest choice at a lower price |
| Cremorne, Melbourne | $828 | 392 | Product and engineering teams that prefer converted warehouses to towers |
| Brisbane CBD | $701 | 893 | Growing teams that want a central address at a lower cost than Sydney |
| Fortitude Valley, Brisbane | $546 | 1,110 | Start-ups on a budget and teams that hire young engineers |
Figures are from our live listings as of October 2026. Tech Central figures combine Haymarket, Ultimo, Surry Hills, Chippendale, Central and Eveleigh as of October 2026.
Sydney CBD
The Sydney CBD has the deepest market for premium flexible offices in the country, from towers around Martin Place and Wynyard to the newer buildings at Barangaroo. It is where many global technology companies base their Australian teams, and flexible operators are seeing AI demand directly: The Executive Centre says an AI company took 75 desks at 400 George Street, and that enquiries for 30 to 80 desks have doubled in six months.
The CBD office market is reasonably balanced. JLL put Sydney CBD vacancy at 13.9% in mid-2026, with demand still growing over the year.
What it costs: the median private office is $1,107 a desk a month, the highest of the six districts, with around 2,145 desks available.
4 Person Private Office in Sydney - Opens Nov2026
1 Chifley Square Sydney CBD
3 Person Internal Private Office in Sydney | 11 sqm
20 Bond Street Wynyard
10 Person Private Office in Sydney | 27 sqm
1 Elizabeth Street Sydney CBD
See all office space in the Sydney CBD
Tech Central, Sydney
Tech Central is the NSW Government's technology precinct, running south from Central Station through Haymarket, Ultimo, Surry Hills, Chippendale, Camperdown and Eveleigh. The NSW Government names AI as one of its key sectors, and counts Atlassian, Block, Canva, SafetyCulture and Rokt among the companies there. Atlassian's new headquarters in the precinct is due to open in 2027.
The precinct has a mix of converted warehouses, newer offices around Central and South Eveleigh, and start-up space such as the Tech Central Innovation Hub at 477 Pitt Street, run by Stone & Chalk. Universities are close by: the University of Technology Sydney is in Ultimo and the University of Sydney in Camperdown.
What it costs: around $810 a desk a month for a private office, with around 900 desks across the precinct. It is cheaper than the CBD, but the supply is spread across several suburbs, so it pays to look at more than one.
185sqm Newly Fitted Suite with 16 Workstations, 6-pax Boardroom and a Kitchen
52 Goulburn Street Haymarket
10 Person External Private Office | 38 sqm
910, Level 9, 66 Goulburn Street Haymarket
8 Person External Private Window Office | 20 sqm
66 Goulburn Street Haymarket
Explore Tech Central by neighbourhood: Haymarket, Ultimo, Surry Hills, Camperdown, Darlington and North Eveleigh and South Eveleigh.
Comparing offices across these districts?
Tell us your team size, budget and the cities you are considering, and we will send a free shortlist with availability and prices checked with each operator.
Melbourne CBD
Melbourne's CBD has the largest single cluster of AI companies in Australia, with 188 in the National AI Centre and CSIRO's 2025 count, slightly ahead of central Sydney. JLL rates it the most exposed of the capital city office markets to AI demand. RMIT University is in the city, and the University of Melbourne and the research precinct at Parkville are just to the north.
For tenants, the timing is good. Melbourne CBD has the highest office vacancy of the three cities, at 20.5% according to JLL, which keeps rents in check and gives teams plenty of choice.
What it costs: a median of $660 a desk a month for a private office, with around 3,354 desks available, the most of any district in this guide.
External Private Office for up to 4 People
430 Little Collins Street Melbourne CBD
2-3 Person Internal Private Office in Melbourne
385 Bourke Street Melbourne CBD
Office 2679c | External Private Office for up to 17 People with Harbour view
360 Collins Street Melbourne CBD
See all office space in the Melbourne CBD
Cremorne, Melbourne
Cremorne, a small pocket between Richmond and the Yarra, has become one of Melbourne's best-known technology neighbourhoods, sometimes called Silicon Yarra. Its converted warehouses and newer low-rise offices suit product and engineering teams, and Richmond station puts it a few minutes from the city.
What it costs: a median of $828 a desk a month for a private office, more than the CBD, with around 392 desks available. Supply is small, so good offices go quickly.
10 Person External Private Office in Barton
6 Fitzgibbon Street Cremorne
10 Person Private Office
Level 1, 8 Chapel Street Cremorne
9 Person Oversized Office with storage cupboard and TV!
100 Cubitt Street Cremorne
See all office space in Cremorne or nearby Richmond and Collingwood
Brisbane CBD
Brisbane has the third-largest cluster of AI companies in the country, with 114 in the National AI Centre and CSIRO's count. Its CBD is also the tightest of the three office markets: JLL put vacancy at 10.6% in mid-2026, and just 7.7% for prime buildings, with strong demand over the year.
What it costs: a median of $701 a desk a month for a private office, with around 893 desks available. Spring Hill and Kangaroo Point, on the edge of the CBD, add more choice at similar prices.
4 Person Private Office in Brisbane City | 11 sqm
10.04, 320 Adelaide Street Fortitude Valley
5 Person Internal Private Office in Brisbane
167 Eagle Street Spring Hill
External Private Office for up to 4 people
324 Queen Street Spring Hill
See all office space in Brisbane
Fortitude Valley, Brisbane
Fortitude Valley, just north of the CBD, is Brisbane's start-up and technology district, with many of the city's coworking spaces and a younger feel than the city centre. Newstead and Bowen Hills next door add newer office buildings.
What it costs: the lowest median of the six districts, at $546 a desk a month for a private office, with around 1,110 desks available. For an early-stage team watching its runway, it is usually the best value in this guide.
External Private Office for up to 15 people with Meeting Room
25 King Street Bowen Hills
10 Person External Private Office in Fortitude Valley
1024 Ann Street Fortitude Valley
16 Person Private Office in Brisbane City | 50 sqm
3.1, 320 Adelaide Street Fortitude Valley
See all office space in Fortitude Valley
What AI companies look for in an office
Agents and operators tracking AI tenants in Australia describe a consistent set of needs:
- Talent and universities. JLL finds AI firms expanding in precincts with good transport and access to talent, which is why the clusters sit in the city centres and next to the universities.
- Quality buildings. AI occupiers favour premium and high-grade buildings with collaborative, well-connected floors, and are willing to pay for them, according to JLL.
- Room to grow. AI is adding office demand through hiring, not shrinking it. JLL modelling suggests AI could add around 483,000 sq m of office demand in Australia by 2030.
- Flexibility first. JLL found that about a quarter of the global AI companies operating in Australia use flexible workspace. The Executive Centre says AI makes five-year headcount forecasts unreliable, so many firms use flexible offices while they grow and move into their own lease later.
When you compare offices, ask each operator how much more space it could give you in the same building, and how quickly. For a growing AI team, that usually matters more than any technical specification.
How to choose between them
- Budget first: Fortitude Valley is usually the cheapest per desk and the Sydney CBD the most expensive. Melbourne's CBD offers the most space for the money.
- Size of team: the Melbourne CBD and Sydney CBD have the widest choice for teams of 20 or more. Cremorne and Tech Central have less space in any one building, so larger teams should allow more time.
- Where your people are: choose the city your team and clients are in first, then the district. Every city in this guide has both a premium CBD and a cheaper tech neighbourhood.
- How certain your headcount is: AI teams can grow or shrink quickly. A flexible office lets you add desks or move without being tied to a long lease, and most operators will move you to a larger office in the same building.
Our Sydney and Melbourne price guides break the figures down further, and our analysis of whether AI is changing Australia's office market looks at how supply and prices have moved over the past year.
Sources: National AI Centre and CSIRO 2025 AI ecosystem report, via IDM, July 2025; JLL, July 2026; JLL, January 2025; Real Estate Business, July 2026 (JLL); The Urban Developer, August 2026 (JLL office market data); NSW Government, Tech Central; IT Brief, August 2026 (The Executive Centre); Technology Decisions, December 2025; IT Brief, April 2026. Prices and availability are from Rubberdesk's live listings.
Find your office in Australia's AI hubs
Search live listings across every operator in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, or let our team arrange viewings and compare offers for you, free of charge.
