The living burden is so heavy! Water, electricity and management fees have risen even more than rent.

[Reporter Xu Yiping/Taipei Report] The annual growth rate of the residential consumer price index surged to 2.38% in September, setting a new high in 20 months. Further analysis of various indices revealed that the annual increase in rents in September was approximately 1.72%, the only time in the same period in the past five years that it was less than 2%. On the other hand, the annual increase in basic living expenses such as water, electricity, gas, residential maintenance and management fees in September actually exceeded the rent.

According to CPI statistics from the Accountant General Office of the Executive Yuan, in September this year, among the consumer index housing categories, the water, electricity and gas category had the largest annual increase, up about 4.63%, and the second highest was the residential maintenance category, with an annual increase of about 3.77%. With the increase in oil prices due to the U.S.-Iraq war, and the continued rise in wages, the household goods index rose, with an annual increase of 2.93%. On the other hand, the annual increase in the rent index fell below 2% in September.

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Zeng Jingde, project manager of Xinyi Housing Real Estate Enterprise Research Office, said that in the past nine months, the annual growth rate of the rent index has fallen below 2%, reflecting that the rent increase has slowed down. However, in addition to rent, living and living costs include household supplies, water, electricity, gas, management and maintenance expenses. According to statistical results, the increase is faster than rent. It is speculated that the reason behind this is the increase in labor costs. In addition, oil prices have risen sharply after the war. The production of many things is related to oil, which is gradually reflected in prices.

Housing cost trends show a U-shaped trend

The trend of overall housing costs in the housing category shows a U-shaped trend, from the annual growth rate of 2.38% at the beginning of 2025 to 1.77% in July. The trend rebounded significantly in 2026, continuing to climb from 1.87% in January to 2.38% in September, indicating that the growth pressure on overall housing-related expenses has once again expanded.

In particular, the rent growth rate will continue to slow down in 2026, but water, electricity, gas and residential maintenance costs will become the main force pushing up the residential index.

As for home management fees, it reflects the continued rise in community management fees, cleaning labor and home services and other related labor costs, which is a part of the overall project that has a strong increase. Zeng Jingde said that in recent years, communities have faced the problem of rising property management fees, and if they switch properties due to costs, they will also have to adapt. During the period, the quality may not be maintained, so it is often seen that the property management company is changed, but the security guard just changes to another uniform to stay, hoping to maintain the stability of the management quality of the community; in addition, the community is getting older and older, including the maintenance of elevators and other equipment, etc., which will increase the cost of living.

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