Low income earners will not be able to find affordable housing in Canberra, according to Anglicare Australia's annual Rental Affordability Snapshot.

The snapshot, released Tuesday, shows less than 140 listed properties in Canberra and Queanbeyan match some classifications of minimum-wage earners.

The snapshot is a result of an audit of newspaper advertisements and real estate websites for private rental accommodations. Anglicare Australia surveyed over 65,000 properties nationwide on April 14.

Only in Canberra were there zero available and affordable accommodations for eight out of 12 categories of low income earners in the country.

Anglicare ACT general manager Jenny Kitchen said Canberra's rental affordability crisis was ''off the chart.''

''There is no other major urban centre in Australia that is unable to supply any affordable housing for families on a minimum-wage income,'' she said.

ACT Shelter executive officer Leigh Watson said the costly rents also made matters worse for people on public housing waiting lists.

''Housing costs have increased 63 per cent in Canberra over the last six years and the ACT now has the highest private rental market of all states and territories,'' she said. ''So for these people on the waiting list, paying private rent in such a market - and having enough left over for basic necessities - is impossible.''

Anglicare Australia's snapshot said the problem in affordable housing would eventually break Australia's good economic standing.

''The National Housing Supply Council has projected a shortfall in physical dwellings currently of 186,000, but this is to blow out to 640,000 by 2030,'' the snapshot noted.

In its recommendations, Anglicare Australia pointed out the necessary changes to taxation and superannuation rules in order to encourage more investment in affordable housing nationwide.

''Too much of the focus is on affordability for owner-occupiers,'' she said. ''The really desperate problem is for low-income earners in the private rental market ... There is an onus on the ACT government to continue to provide incentives to developers to help create a mix of housing stock right across Canberra,'' the snapshot noted.