Figures released today show Otago's average weekly rental price increased by 8% and Southland's climbed by 6.1% since last June.
This contrasts with an average fall of 2.7% in rent nationally in the latest data from realestate.co.nz.
The rise means Otago's average weekly rental price has jumped from $571 to $616 in the past 12 months.
This compares to $576 for Canterbury, $625 for Wellington and $689 for Auckland.
Southland’s average weekly rent of $489 in June - up from $461 - was the region’s highest on record.
'Southland is certainly bucking the trend, for both home buyers and renters.
"It will be interesting to see what Southland’s property market does over the coming months as we move into spring,” realestate.co.nz spokeswoman Vanessa Williams said.
The highest rise nationally was on the West Coast where average weekly rent of $433 was 9.1% higher than last year's $396.
The average rent dropped in Central Otago/Lakes District but the region still has the highest weekly rent in the country at $827. - APL
