How many years of typical household income does a median house cost?
Better
A median house costs 7.2 times median gross household income, down from 7.8 times median gross household income in June 2020.
A median New Zealand house sold for $753,500 in the year ended June 2024 (Stats NZ, Housing in Aotearoa 2025). Divided by the rebased median annual household gross income of $103,995 (Stats NZ HES population rebase), that is 7.2 times income — a CivicNZ calculation from those official inputs, not an official Stats NZ ratio. The 2020 reading uses the same rebase vintage: median $83,852 ($654,000 / $83,852 = 7.8). Housing in Aotearoa also prints 14.6 times median household equivalised disposable income ($51,597) — the official ratio, using a smaller denominator.
Data as of 17 Jun 2025
Topic verdict rule: primary series recent like for like. Official significance, published CIs, then like-for-like year-on-year — never hand-set.
Median house sale / median household gross income
7.2 times median gross household income
Official series
Median house sale / median household gross income
Better
7.2 times median gross household income · weak confidence
Like-for-like change -0.6 from 2020-06-01 to 2024-06-01 against threshold 0.05; lower is better. Theil–Sen is longer-run context and does not override this headline.
CivicNZ calculation from Stats NZ inputs: median house sale $753,500 (Housing in Aotearoa 2025, year ended June 2024) / rebased median annual household gross income $103,995 (Stats NZ HES population rebase, YE June 2024). 753500 / 103995 = 7.2 to one decimal. Not an official Stats NZ ratio. The official companion is 14.6 times median household equivalised disposable income.
Median house sale / median household equivalised disposable income
Better
14.6 times median household equivalised disposable income · weak confidence
Like-for-like change -1.3 from 2020-06-01 to 2024-06-01 against threshold 0.0735; lower is better. Theil–Sen is longer-run context and does not override this headline.
Median house sale $753,500 / median household equivalised disposable income $51,597 = 14.6. Official Stats NZ Housing in Aotearoa method. Companion series — this is not median gross household income.
Years to save a 20% deposit (official method)
Insufficient
20 years · weak confidence
Fewer than two official observations — no trend can be derived.
Official method: 20% of median house sale $753,500, saved at 20% of median HEDIAHC $38,087 a year.
Regional league
Median house sale / median household equivalised disposable income, by region
1Auckland (opens in a new tab)17.2 times median household equivalised disposable income, down from 19.9 times median household equivalised disposable income
2Bay of Plenty (opens in a new tab)16.6 times median household equivalised disposable income, down from 16.9 times median household equivalised disposable income
3Waikato (opens in a new tab)15.5 times median household equivalised disposable income, down from 16.1 times median household equivalised disposable income
4Northland (opens in a new tab)15.3 times median household equivalised disposable income, similar to 15.4 times median household equivalised disposable income
7Canterbury (opens in a new tab)13.1 times median household equivalised disposable income, up from 11.3 times median household equivalised disposable income
8Wellington (opens in a new tab)12.9 times median household equivalised disposable income, down from 15.0 times median household equivalised disposable income
9Otago (opens in a new tab)12.8 times median household equivalised disposable income, down from 16.0 times median household equivalised disposable income
10Manawatū / Whanganui (opens in a new tab)12.3 times median household equivalised disposable income, down from 12.6 times median household equivalised disposable income
11Taranaki (opens in a new tab)12.2 times median household equivalised disposable income, similar to 12.1 times median household equivalised disposable income
12Southland (opens in a new tab)9.2 times median household equivalised disposable income, up from 8.8 times median household equivalised disposable income
Official one-way regional table. Rankings are associations, not causes. CivicNZ does not adjust for household mix. Data as of 17 Jun 2025. Official source (opens in a new tab)
Published breakdowns
Official tables by region, income and household type where the agency publishes them. Group differences are associations, not causes.
Raw gap beside any official adjusted gap. Association only — not a cause.
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.
Median house sale / median household gross income moved from 7.8 times median gross household income to 7.2 times median gross household income (June 2020 → June 2024). Verdict Better is derived (recent_like_for_like), not an editorial call. The movement is an association in the official series.
Official or openly licensed primary sources only. Definition changes and revisions can move a series without a real-world change.
Median house sale / median household equivalised disposable income moved from 15.9 times median household equivalised disposable income to 14.6 times median household equivalised disposable income (June 2020 → June 2024). Verdict Better is derived (recent_like_for_like), not an editorial call. The movement is an association in the official series.
Official or openly licensed primary sources only. Definition changes and revisions can move a series without a real-world change.
Raw gap: 8.0 more years of income. Official adjusted gap: Not published. An explained share is not published because a matching official adjusted gap is missing.
A gap is an association in the official table. It is not evidence that a policy, culture, or household choice caused the difference.
