In September this year, the annual growth rate of the residential category of the consumer index reached 2.38%, setting a new high in the past 20 months. (Picture/File photo, provided by Taiwan Housing)
The latest statistics from the General Accounting Office show that the annual growth rate of residential consumer prices surged to 2.38% in September, a 20-month high. However, the main driver of the increase is not rent, but rising living expenses such as water, electricity, gas, residential maintenance and management fees.
According to CPI statistics from the General Accounting Office, the annual growth rate of the consumer index residential category reached 2.38% in September this year, setting a new high in the past 20 months. The largest increase was the water, electricity and gas category, which increased by 4.63%, followed by home management expenses, which increased by 4.2%, and residential maintenance expenses, which increased by 3. .77%. The household goods index began to increase after the U.S.-Iran war drove up oil prices, with an annual increase of 2.93%. On the contrary, the rent price index fell below 2% for nine consecutive months. It is estimated that the rise in oil prices driven by geopolitical conflicts is reflected in commodity prices. In addition, rising wages are also related.
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. In addition to rent, living and living costs include household supplies, water, electricity, gas, management and maintenance costs, which have increased statistically. 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.
Overall housing cost: The trend is U-shaped. In 2025, the growth rate reached the lowest point in July from 2.38% at the beginning of the year. The trend rebounded significantly in 2026, continuing to climb from 1.87% in January to 2.38% in September, indicating that the growth pressure of overall housing-related expenditures has once again expanded.
The core driver has changed, and the upward pressure has shifted from "rent" to "water, electricity, gas, maintenance fees, home management and other costs. The rent growth rate will continue to slow down in 2026, but "water, electricity and gas" (annual increase of 4.63%) and "residential maintenance costs" (more than 3.7%) have become the main forces pushing up the residential index.
As for home management costs, it reflects the continued rise in community management fees, cleaning manpower and home services and other related labor costs, which is a part of the overall project with strong growth. Zeng Jingde said that the community has been facing the problem of increased property management costs in recent years. If the property is converted due to cost, there will be pain of adaptation. 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., the cost will increase.
The annual growth of the household goods index turned from negative to positive, with a significant increase. From mid to the end of 2025, it was mostly at a slight annual decrease, but it has climbed to 2.93% in September since the war. It may be affected by the price increase effect of rising import costs, raw material prices or logistics freight.
