Buying costs rose 168%; CPI's housing measures rose 124–146%

Index, January 2000 = 100, monthly through April 2026. CPI and FHFA series seasonally adjusted.

A line chart indexed to January 2000 compares CPI rent and owners' equivalent rent with an estimated mortgage payment for a comparable home. By April 2026, the estimated new-buyer payment was about 168 percent higher, CPI rent was about 146 percent higher, and owners' equivalent rent was about 124 percent higher. The estimate excludes taxes, insurance, closing costs, maintenance, and buyer qualification.

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Estimated payment combines the FHFA purchase-only house-price index with Freddie Mac's 30-year mortgage rate, assuming 20% down and a 30-year fixed loan. Excludes taxes, insurance, closing costs and maintenance.

Chart: American MetricsSource: BLS, FHFA, Freddie Mac via FREDGet the dataEmbed Download imageCreated with Datawrapper