The Northern Territory Council of Social Service released two new Cost of Living Report on Monday, highlighting the pressures faced by Territorians—particularly young people—when it comes to affording life's essentials: housing, utilities, and transport.

The flagship report, Cost of Living in the Northern Territory, and its companion report, Cost of Living for Young People in the Northern Territory, paint what NTCOSS called "a concerning picture".

The findings "reinforce what the community sector has long known: cost of living relief is most effective when it is targeted towards those people who are most disadvantaged".

Among NTCOSS' findings is that Mparntwe/Alice Springs now records average power disconnection events lasting over 11 hours—up 291 minutes in a single year, and the town is the most expensive regional centre in Australia for transport costs.

NTCOSS also found that rental affordability in the Territory continues to worsen, with only three properties in total across the NT affordable to someone on income support on Anglicare's 2025 snapshot day.

The organisation also found that a young person receiving Youth Allowance in would need to spend nearly half their income "on even the cheapest room in a Darwin share house".

NTCOSS said its reports provide "practical, evidence-based recommendations to both the Northern Territory and federal governments", including: Raising income support payments to at least $82 a day; expanding the NT Concession Scheme to all Health Care Card holders; ensuring affordable housing is prioritised in land release; indexing motor vehicle concessions and improving public transport access, especially in remote areas; and addressing the impacts of power self-disconnections and implementing minimum energy efficiency standards for rentals.

The Council's chief executive, Sally Sievers, said cost of living pressures are "hitting the Territory hard".

"When young people are paying 78 per cent of their apprentice wage just to rent a one-bedroom unit, it's clear the system is not working for everyone. These aren't abstract figures, these are stories of people skipping meals, missing rent, or losing power," she said.

"That's why cost of living relief must be targeted—it's those most disadvantaged who need the support most, and where it will make the biggest impact. We must work together—across government, the community and social sector and community—to create a Territory where everyone can afford to live with dignity."