How much did a new house (US median price) cost?
A new house (US median price) cost $39,300 in 1975 and $417,400 in 2025: about 11 times as much.
Over the same years, prices in general (US inflation, measured by the consumer price index, CPI) rose about 6 times. That makes $39,300 in 1975 worth about $235,000 in 2025 money. So it got more expensive even after inflation: about 78% more, in real terms, than in 1975.
The biggest change between two listed years came between 2010 and 2025, when it went up 88%, from $221,800 to $417,400.
New house: price by year
| Year | Price | In 2025 dollars |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | $39,300 | $235,000 |
| 1980 | $64,600 | $252,000 |
| 1985 | $84,300 | $252,000 |
| 1990 | $122,900 | $303,000 |
| 1995 | $133,900 | $283,000 |
| 2000 | $169,000 | $316,000 |
| 2005 | $240,900 | $397,000 |
| 2010 | $221,800 | $327,000 |
| 2025 | $417,400 | $417,000 |
"In 2025 dollars" adjusts each amount for inflation with the CPI, so the years can be compared fairly. How this works.
Where the numbers come from
From the US Census Bureau's official figures for that year.
Source: US Census Bureau, median sales price of new houses sold (1975-2000 via HUD's US Housing Market Conditions, Historical Table 8; 2005, 2010, 2025 from Census New Residential Sales releases). View the source.
Think you'd have guessed it? Play today's Daily 5