Price to Rent Ratio in the United States increased to 134.44 in the fourth quarter of 2024 from 133.75 in the third quarter of 2024. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for the United States Price to Rent Ratio.

VITAL SIGNS INDICATOR
Rent Payments (EC8)

FULL MEASURE NAME
Median rent payment

LAST UPDATED
January 2023

DESCRIPTION
Rent payments refer to the cost of leasing an apartment or home and serves as a measure of housing costs for individuals who do not own a home. The data reflect the median monthly rent paid by Bay Area households across apartments and homes of various sizes and various levels of quality. This differs from advertised rents for available apartments, which usually are higher. Note that rent can be presented using nominal or real (inflation-adjusted) dollar values; data are presented inflation-adjusted to reflect changes in household purchasing power over time.

DATA SOURCE
U.S. Census Bureau: Decennial Census - https://nhgis.org
Count 2 (1970)
Form STF1 (1980-1990)
Form SF3a (2000)

U.S. Census Bureau: American Community Survey - https://data.census.gov/
Form B25058 (2005-2021; median contract rent)

Bureau of Labor Statistics: Consumer Price Index - https://www.bls.gov/data/
1970-2021

CONTACT INFORMATION
vitalsigns.info@mtc.ca.gov

METHODOLOGY NOTES (across all datasets for this indicator)
Rent data reflects median rent payments rather than list rents (refer to measure definition above). American Community Survey 1-year data is used for larger geographies – Bay counties and most metropolitan area counties – while smaller geographies rely upon 5-year rolling average data due to their smaller sample sizes. Note that 2020 data uses the 5-year estimates because the ACS did not collect 1-year data for 2020.

1970 Census data for median rent payments has been imputed from quintiles using methodology from California Department of Finance as the source data only provided the mean, rather than the median, monthly rent. Metro area boundaries reflects today’s metro area definitions by county for consistency, rather than historical metro area boundaries.

Inflation-adjusted data are presented to illustrate how rent payments have grown relative to overall price increases; that said, the use of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) does create some challenges given the fact that housing represents a major chunk of consumer goods bundle used to calculate CPI. This reflects a methodological tradeoff between precision and accuracy and is a common concern when working with any commodity that is a major component of CPI itself.

The annual house price to rent ratio in the Netherlands has been on an upward trend since 2015. In 2023, the ratio declined for the first time, falling slightly to 154.6 index points. That was higher than the average house price to rent ratio in the OECD countries.The ratio is based on the nominal purchase price of a house divided by the annual rent of a similar place, with 2015 chosen as a base year. A value of 150 indicates that house price prices have outgrown rental prices by 50 percent.

Price to Rent Ratio in Canada decreased to 134.71 in the first quarter of 2025 from 134.87 in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for Canada Price to Rent Ratio.

Graph and download economic data for Average Sales Price of Houses Sold for the United States (ASPUS) from Q1 1963 to Q1 2025 about sales, housing, and USA.

Price to Rent Ratio in New Zealand decreased to 126.53 in the third quarter of 2024 from 129.20 in the second quarter of 2024. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for New Zealand Price to Rent Ratio.

Price to Rent Ratio in Ireland increased to 112.11 in the first quarter of 2025 from 111.35 in the fourth quarter of 2024. This dataset includes a chart with historical data for Ireland Price to Rent Ratio.

Prior to 1974 the data was based on surveys of existing house sales in Dublin carried out by the Valuation Office on behalf of the D. O. E. Since 1974 the data has been based on information supplied by all lending agencies on the average price of mortgage financed existing house transactions. Average house prices are derived from data supplied by the mortgage lending agencies on loans approved by them rather than loans paid. In comparing house prices figures from one period to another, account should be taken of the fact that changes in the mix of houses (incl apartments) will affect the average figures. Data for 1969/1970 is not available for Cork, Limerick, Galway, Waterford and Other areas The most current data is published on these sheets. Previously published data may be subject to revision. Any change from the originally published data will be highlighted by a comment on the cell in question. These comments will be maintained for at least a year after the date of the value change. National and Other Areas figure changed for 2015 on 27/6/15 as revised data received from Local Authorities Prices includes houses and apartments measured in €

New Zealand NZ: Standardised Price-Rent Ratio: sa data was reported at 181.581 Ratio in Sep 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 185.422 Ratio for Jun 2024. New Zealand NZ: Standardised Price-Rent Ratio: sa data is updated quarterly, averaging 61.687 Ratio from Mar 1970 (Median) to Sep 2024, with 219 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 233.963 Ratio in Dec 2021 and a record low of 44.295 Ratio in Dec 1970. New Zealand NZ: Standardised Price-Rent Ratio: sa data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s New Zealand – Table NZ.OECD.AHPI: House Price Index: Seasonally Adjusted: OECD Member: Quarterly. Nominal house prices divided by rent price indices. The long-term average is calculated over the whole period available when the indicator begins after 1980 or after 1980 if the indicator is longer. This value is used as a reference value. The ratio is calculated by dividing the indicator source on this long-term average, and indexed to a reference value equal to 100.

This statistic shows the average selling price of houses in Belgium from 1973 to 2017 (in euros). According to the source, the numbers provided concern 'ordinary houses' (in Flemish Dutch: gewone woonhuizen). This in contrast to other numbers, which cover 'villa's, bungalows and mansions', 'apartments, flats and studios' (in Flemish Dutch: villa's, bungalows, landhuizen) and 'building lots' (in Flemish Dutch: bouwgronden). In 2017, the average price paid when selling a house was 216,775 euros.

During the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis in 2020, house prices in Belgium continued increasing. Unsurprisingly, the Brussels-Capital Region was the most expensive region for housing.

Sweden SE: Standardised Price-Rent Ratio: sa data was reported at 153.802 Ratio in 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 161.773 Ratio for 2023. Sweden SE: Standardised Price-Rent Ratio: sa data is updated yearly, averaging 93.076 Ratio from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2024, with 55 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 177.421 Ratio in 2022 and a record low of 50.091 Ratio in 1996. Sweden SE: Standardised Price-Rent Ratio: sa data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Sweden – Table SE.OECD.AHPI: House Price Index: Seasonally Adjusted: OECD Member: Annual. Nominal house prices divided by rent price indices. The long-term average is calculated over the whole period available when the indicator begins after 1980 or after 1980 if the indicator is longer. This value is used as a reference value. The ratio is calculated by dividing the indicator source on this long-term average, and indexed to a reference value equal to 100.

Graph and download economic data for Homeownership Rate in the United States (RHORUSQ156N) from Q1 1965 to Q1 2025 about homeownership, housing, rate, and USA.

Denmark DK: Standardised Price-Rent Ratio: sa data was reported at 144.470 Ratio in Dec 2024. This records an increase from the previous number of 143.699 Ratio for Sep 2024. Denmark DK: Standardised Price-Rent Ratio: sa data is updated quarterly, averaging 89.440 Ratio from Mar 1970 (Median) to Dec 2024, with 220 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 152.220 Ratio in Mar 2022 and a record low of 55.005 Ratio in Jun 1993. Denmark DK: Standardised Price-Rent Ratio: sa data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Denmark – Table DK.OECD.AHPI: House Price Index: Seasonally Adjusted: OECD Member: Quarterly. Nominal house prices divided by rent price indices. The long-term average is calculated over the whole period available when the indicator begins after 1980 or after 1980 if the indicator is longer. This value is used as a reference value. The ratio is calculated by dividing the indicator source on this long-term average, and indexed to a reference value equal to 100.

Netherlands NL: Standardised Price-Rent Ratio: sa data was reported at 154.083 Ratio in Sep 2024. This records a decrease from the previous number of 154.982 Ratio for Jun 2024. Netherlands NL: Standardised Price-Rent Ratio: sa data is updated quarterly, averaging 97.007 Ratio from Mar 1970 (Median) to Sep 2024, with 219 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 157.520 Ratio in Jun 2022 and a record low of 57.181 Ratio in Sep 1985. Netherlands NL: Standardised Price-Rent Ratio: sa data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Netherlands – Table NL.OECD.AHPI: House Price Index: Seasonally Adjusted: OECD Member: Quarterly. Nominal house prices divided by rent price indices. The long-term average is calculated over the whole period available when the indicator begins after 1980 or after 1980 if the indicator is longer. This value is used as a reference value. The ratio is calculated by dividing the indicator source on this long-term average, and indexed to a reference value equal to 100.

Private companies were responsible for most of the new homes built in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2023. Housing completions in the UK decreased for three years in a row between 2007 and 2010. This was followed by several years of fluctuation and a gradual increase from 2013 to 2019. The number of homes completed in England remained relatively stable in 2021 and 2022, after reaching a low point in the second quarter of 2020 due to the restrictions implemented to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Construction starts and completions Comparing the number of starts and completions in London side-by-side shows that whenever there is a significant growth or fall in the number of projects started, that peak or valley tends to be reflected in the number of buildings completed a couple of years later. Nevertheless, disruptions, delays, and other obstacles may affect that correlation. Still, observing how many home construction projects started in the UK can provide some insight into the level of activity that construction companies may have in the near future. Given that the number of housing starts is forecast to fall in 2023, there might be slightly less work to be carried out the following year. Nevertheless, housing starts are expected to pick up again by 2024 and 2025. Housing associations in the UK Housing associations are not-for-profit organizations created to develop and rent homes for a lower price than in the private market. They have acquired certain relevance in the UK, although this type of organization also exists in other countries. On several occasions during the past decade, over a fifth of housing starts in London were developed by housing associations. Meanwhile, the number of new homes completed in Scotland by housing associations has increased a lot throughout the years, with several thousand units constructed every year during the past decades.

Mexico MX: Forest Rents: % of GDP data was reported at 0.160 % in 2017. This records a decrease from the previous number of 0.170 % for 2016. Mexico MX: Forest Rents: % of GDP data is updated yearly, averaging 0.130 % from Dec 1970 (Median) to 2017, with 48 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 0.443 % in 1977 and a record low of 0.056 % in 2005. Mexico MX: Forest Rents: % of GDP data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by World Bank. The data is categorized under Global Database’s Mexico – Table MX.World Bank.WDI: Land Use, Protected Areas and National Wealth. Forest rents are roundwood harvest times the product of average prices and a region-specific rental rate.; ; Estimates based on sources and methods described in 'The Changing Wealth of Nations: Measuring Sustainable Development in the New Millennium' (World Bank, 2011).; Weighted average;