CivicNZ · affordability

Cost-of-living group gaps

Raw official gaps sit beside any official adjusted gap. CivicNZ does not invent an explained share. Every comparison is labelled as association, not causation.

Dimensions on this desk: region, household_type, income.

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region

Median house sale / median household equivalised disposable income (official companion ratio)

Auckland compared with Southland. Period Year ended June 2024.

Raw gap

8.0 more years of income

17.2 vs 9.2 times income

Official adjusted gap

Not published

An explained share is not published — CivicNZ does not invent one.

Stats NZ publishes one-way regional ratios. It does not publish a residual after income, household size, or interest rates. CivicNZ does not invent one.

Measured factors

Applied
Household income / quintile
Denominator is median household equivalised disposable income.
Not published
Tenure (rent / mortgage / own outright)
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Applied
Household type
Equivalisation adjusts for household size and composition.
Stratified
Region
Official one-way regional ratios from Housing in Aotearoa 2025.
Not published
Ethnicity
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Context only
Mortgage interest
The ratio is a purchase-price multiple, not a mortgage-service ratio.
Not published
Dwelling quality / size
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Not published
Hours and employment mix
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Not published
Tax and transfers
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.

Official regional price-to-income ratios

Region	2020	2024	Source
Auckland	19.9	17.2	Housing in Aotearoa 2025
Southland	8.8	9.2	Housing in Aotearoa 2025
New Zealand	15.9	14.6	Housing in Aotearoa 2025 news table

National 15.9 (2020) and 14.6 (2024) are the official Total New Zealand row in the Stats NZ news table.

What this does not tell us

A gap is an association in the official table. It is not evidence that a policy, culture, or household choice caused the difference.
CivicNZ does not invent an official adjusted gap or an explained share when the agency did not publish one.
National averages hide households that pay typical prices on below-average incomes.
Auckland’s fall from 19.9 to 17.2 is an association of prices and incomes. It does not identify a policy cause.
The official denominator is equivalised disposable income, not a simple median household income multiple.

Official source (opens in a new tab) · Data as of 17 Jun 2025

household_type

Households spending 30% or more of disposable income on housing costs

Renters compared with Owner-occupied. Period Year ended June 2024.

Raw gap

19.3 percentage points higher

45.9 vs 26.6 percentage points

Official adjusted gap

Not published

An explained share is not published — CivicNZ does not invent one.

HUD republishes HES tenure splits. No official residual after income, household type, or region is published on that page.

Measured factors

Context only
Household income / quintile
HES also publishes a 40%+ rate for lower-income households, not an adjusted tenure gap.
Stratified
Tenure (rent / mortgage / own outright)
Official owner / renter split.
Not published
Household type
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Context only
Region
MBIE bond data is regional for rent levels, not for this HES rate.
Stratified
Ethnicity
Housing in Aotearoa: 64.1% of Māori renting households and 69.9% of Pacific renting households spent 30%+ of income on rent, versus 49.2% of all renting households.
Not published
Mortgage interest
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Not published
Dwelling quality / size
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Not published
Hours and employment mix
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Not published
Tax and transfers
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.

30%+ housing-cost rate by tenure (HUD / HES)

Group	2022	2023	2024
Renters	42.8%	44.5%	45.9%
Owner-occupied	20.6%	24.8%	26.6%
All households	Not published	Not published	33.4%

All-households rate for 2022–2023 is not published on the HUD indicator page.

What this does not tell us

A gap is an association in the official table. It is not evidence that a policy, culture, or household choice caused the difference.
CivicNZ does not invent an official adjusted gap or an explained share when the agency did not publish one.
National averages hide households that pay typical prices on below-average incomes.
Renters and owners have different income and age mixes. The official table does not hold those fixed.

Official source (opens in a new tab) · Data as of 1 Dec 2025

income

Annual household living-costs inflation

Superannuitants compared with Highest-spending households. Period June 2026 quarter (annual).

Raw gap

2.6 percentage points higher

4.5 vs 1.9 percentage points

Official adjusted gap

Not published

An explained share is not published — CivicNZ does not invent one.

HLPI household groups are one-way. Stats NZ does not publish a residual after interest-rate exposure or household composition.

Measured factors

Stratified
Household income / quintile
Income and expenditure quintiles are published as separate one-way groups.
Not published
Tenure (rent / mortgage / own outright)
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Stratified
Household type
Official HLPI household groups include superannuitants and expenditure quintiles.
Not published
Region
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Stratified
Ethnicity
Māori household living costs rose 3.2% in the year to June 2026, matching the all-households rate.
Context only
Mortgage interest
HLPI includes mortgage interest; CPI does not. Interest payments fell 15.4% for the average household in the year to June 2026.
Not published
Dwelling quality / size
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Not published
Hours and employment mix
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Not published
Tax and transfers
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.

HLPI annual change, June 2026 quarter

Household group	Annual %
Superannuitants	4.5
Lowest-spending	4.3
Lowest-income	4.0
Beneficiaries	3.7
All households	3.2
Māori	3.2
Highest-income	2.4
Highest-spending	1.9
Headline CPI (different basket)	4.1

CPI is a different basket (new housing, not mortgage interest). Do not treat the 4.1 / 3.2 gap as a residual.

What this does not tell us

A gap is an association in the official table. It is not evidence that a policy, culture, or household choice caused the difference.
CivicNZ does not invent an official adjusted gap or an explained share when the agency did not publish one.
National averages hide households that pay typical prices on below-average incomes.
A higher HLPI for superannuitants is associated with their basket, including interest and rates. It is not a finding about pension adequacy.

Official source (opens in a new tab) · Data as of 28 Jul 2026

income

Lower-income households spending 40% or more of disposable income on housing

Lower-income (under $72,600 disposable) compared with All households (housing costs $22.30 per $100). Period Year ended June 2025.

Raw gap

57.7% of lower-income renters at the 40%+ threshold

57.7 vs 22.3 percent

Official adjusted gap

Not published

An explained share is not published — CivicNZ does not invent one.

HES publishes the 40%+ rate for lower-income renters and mortgage holders. It does not publish an income-adjusted residual of the all-households $22.30 ratio.

Measured factors

Stratified
Household income / quintile
Official lower-income cut-off $72,600 disposable.
Stratified
Tenure (rent / mortgage / own outright)
57.7% of lower-income renters and 60.6% of lower-income mortgage holders.
Not published
Household type
The 2025 key facts do not split the 40%+ rate by household type.
Not published
Region
Regional 40%+ rates are not in the 2025 key-facts extract.
Not published
Ethnicity
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Not published
Mortgage interest
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Not published
Dwelling quality / size
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Not published
Hours and employment mix
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Not published
Tax and transfers
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.

Lower-income housing-cost overburden, year ended June 2025

Group	Share at 40%+
Lower-income renters	57.7%
Lower-income mortgage holders	60.6%

Lower income is disposable income under $72,600.

What this does not tell us

A gap is an association in the official table. It is not evidence that a policy, culture, or household choice caused the difference.
CivicNZ does not invent an official adjusted gap or an explained share when the agency did not publish one.
National averages hide households that pay typical prices on below-average incomes.
The $22.30 all-households ratio includes households with no rent or mortgage. It is not comparable to the 40%+ renter rate without that caveat.

Official source (opens in a new tab) · Data as of 19 Feb 2026

region

MBIE geometric mean weekly rent

Auckland Region compared with Southland Region. Period June 2026.

Raw gap

$172 a week higher

624 vs 452 $/week

Official adjusted gap

Not published

An explained share is not published — CivicNZ does not invent one.

Bond data is a lodged-rent distribution by region. MBIE does not publish a quality-, bedroom-, or income-adjusted regional residual in this extract.

Measured factors

Not published
Household income / quintile
Bond files do not include tenant income. A rent-to-income residual is not published here.
Not published
Tenure (rent / mortgage / own outright)
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Not published
Household type
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Stratified
Region
Official regional-council bond statistics.
Not published
Ethnicity
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Not published
Mortgage interest
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Not published
Dwelling quality / size
Bedroom and dwelling-type splits exist in some MBIE extracts; this compiled row is all dwellings.
Not published
Hours and employment mix
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.
Not published
Tax and transfers
The official table for this comparison does not apply or stratify this factor.

Geometric mean weekly rent, June 2026

Area	$/week
Auckland	624
New Zealand	564
Wellington	536
Canterbury	515
Southland	452

Geometric mean of bonds lodged in the month. Last updated 13 October 2026.

What this does not tell us

A gap is an association in the official table. It is not evidence that a policy, culture, or household choice caused the difference.
CivicNZ does not invent an official adjusted gap or an explained share when the agency did not publish one.
National averages hide households that pay typical prices on below-average incomes.
A higher Auckland rent is associated with a different dwelling mix. It is not a finding about landlord conduct.

Official source (opens in a new tab) · Data as of 13 Oct 2026