In 2020, Hong Kong had the most expensive residential property market worldwide, with an average property price of 1.25 million U.S. dollars. The government of Hong Kong provide public housing for lower-income residents and almost 45 percent of the Hong Kong population lived in public permanent housing in 2018.

Portugal, Canada, and the United States were the countries with the highest house price to income ratio in 2024. In all three countries, the index exceeded 130 index points, while the average for all OECD countries stood at 116.2 index points. The index measures the development of housing affordability and is calculated by dividing nominal house price by nominal disposable income per head, with 2015 set as a base year when the index amounted to 100. An index value of 120, for example, would mean that house price growth has outpaced income growth by 20 percent since 2015. How have house prices worldwide changed since the COVID-19 pandemic? House prices started to rise gradually after the global financial crisis (2007–2008), but this trend accelerated with the pandemic. The countries with advanced economies, which usually have mature housing markets, experienced stronger growth than countries with emerging economies. Real house price growth (accounting for inflation) peaked in 2022 and has since lost some of the gain. Although, many countries experienced a decline in house prices, the global house price index shows that property prices in 2023 were still substantially higher than before COVID-19. Renting vs. buying In the past, house prices have grown faster than rents. However, the home affordability has been declining notably, with a direct impact on rental prices. As people struggle to buy a property of their own, they often turn to rental accommodation. This has resulted in a growing demand for rental apartments and soaring rental prices.

The median sales price of the existing privately owned single-family homes in the United States increased slightly in 2024. The most expensive homes were found in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, where the median sales price was *** million U.S. dollars. Hawaii and Delaware experienced the strongest home appreciation.

West Virginia and Kansas had the lowest cost of living across all U.S. states, with composite costs being half of those found in Hawaii. This was according to a composite index that compares prices for various goods and services on a state-by-state basis. In West Virginia, the cost of living index amounted to **** — well below the national benchmark of 100. Virginia— which had an index value of ***** — was only slightly above that benchmark. Expensive places to live included Hawaii, Massachusetts, and California. Housing costs in the U.S. Housing is usually the highest expense in a household’s budget. In 2023, the average house sold for approximately ******* U.S. dollars, but house prices in the Northeast and West regions were significantly higher. Conversely, the South had some of the least expensive housing. In West Virginia, Mississippi, and Louisiana, the median price of the typical single-family home was less than ******* U.S. dollars. That makes living expenses in these states significantly lower than in states such as Hawaii and California, where housing is much pricier. What other expenses affect the cost of living? Utility costs such as electricity, natural gas, water, and internet also influence the cost of living. In Alaska, Hawaii, and Connecticut, the average monthly utility cost exceeded *** U.S. dollars. That was because of the significantly higher prices for electricity and natural gas in these states.

Cities in the United States dominate the list of cities with the highest rents worldwide. New York was ranked as the most expensive city to rent in, ahead of San Francisco, with an index score of ***. Boston followed in third.

In 2024, the annual rent of a retail space in Upper 5th Avenue (49th to 60th Sts) in New York amounted to 2,000 U.S. dollars per square foot, making it the second-most expensive high street worldwide. Via Montenapoleone in Milan ranked top, with prime rents amounting to 2,047 U.S. dollars.

Oslo was the Norwegian city with the most expensive apartments and houses in 2024. In March that year, the average price per residential property in the Norwegian capital was approximately *** million Norwegian kroner. The city above the polar circle, Tromsø ranked second, with housing units costing on average nearly *** million Norwegian kroner. In 2019, there were over nine thousand dwellings sold in Norway. Housing types The largest share of Norwegian residential housing units in 2023 were detached houses, accounting for nearly half of the total housing market in the country. Moreover, a quarter of all occupied and vacant dwellings that year were blocks of flats and over one fifth were houses with two dwellings or row houses. Where are properties the most expensive? Within selected global property markets, Hong Kong had the most expensive housing prices in 2020. An average property would cost roughly **** million U.S. dollars in the former British colony. Munich ranked second, where the average property price amounted to roughly *********** U.S dollars.

In the first quarter of 2025, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and Honolulu were some of the U.S. cities with the highest housing construction costs. Meanwhile, Phoenix had one of the lowest construction costs for high-end multifamily homes at *** U.S. dollars per square foot and Las Vegas for single-family homes between *** and *** U.S. dollars per square foot. Construction cost disparities As seen here, the construction cost for a high-end multi-family home in San Francisco in the first quarter of 2024 was over ***** more expensive than in Phoenix. Meanwhile, there were also great differences in the cost of building a single-family house in New York and in Portland or Seattle. Some factors that may cause these disparities are the construction materials, installation, and composite costs, differing land values, wages, etc. For example, although the price of construction materials in the U.S. was rising at a slower level than in 2022 and 2023, several materials that are essential in most construction projects had growth rates of over **** percent in 2024. Growing industry revenue Despite the economic uncertainty and other challenges, the size of the private construction market in the U.S. rose during the past years. It is important to consider that supply and demand for housing influences the revenue of this segment of the construction market. On the supply side, single-family home construction fell in 2023, but it is expected to rise in 2024 and 2025. On the demand side, some of the U.S. metropolitan areas with the highest sale prices of single-family homes were located in California, with San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara at the top of the ranking.

The average asking rent for a square meter of industrial real estate varied among Latin American cities. Mexico City, was the most expensive city in the second half of 2024, with a monthly asking rate of ***** U.S. dollars per square meter. Additionally, Mexico City was one of the LATAM markets with the lowest vacancy rate.

Depending on the location, the average price for a two-bedroom apartment in Mexico City could exceed ******* U.S. dollars in 2024. In Miguel Hidalgo, the most expensive borough to buy an apartment in Mexico City, the average apartment price was nearly ******* U.S. dollars for a two-bedroom apartment, while a three-bedroom apartment cost over ******* U.S. dollars. Among the boroughs ranked in the statistic, Coyoacán had the most affordable prices for a one-bedroom apartment, averaging ******* U.S. dollars. Overall, Mexico City has the highest average house price per square meter in Mexico.