What each square shows
We compare the index in the sale year with the index in the purchase year. We then convert that change to an annual rate.
annual growth = (end index ÷ start index)1 ÷ years − 1 The New Zealand house-price matrix
When you bought.
When you sold.
Timing changed the outcome. See how prices moved for every possible purchase and sale year.
The default view shows annual house-price growth after inflation. It measures market prices, not the full financial return from owning a home.
Measure
Highlight ownership period
History
New Zealand
Every purchase and sale year, 1980–2025
A triangular matrix. Rows are purchase years, columns are sale years, and colour shows annual house-price growth.
Median 20-year growth — Across all available periods
Best 20 years — —
Worst 20 years — —
01 / Method and limits
Price growth is not profit.
After inflation
The main view removes consumer-price inflation. This makes values from different decades more comparable. The headline-prices view does not make that adjustment.
What is not included
- Mortgage interest, leverage, rates, insurance, or maintenance
- Renovations, transaction costs, tax, rent, or the value of living in the home
- Differences between individual properties
Extended national history
The optional BIS series begins in 1962. Before the final quarter of 1979, it covers main urban areas. From then on, it covers all dwellings nationally. We keep the extension optional because this is a material coverage change.