Housing Cost Explorer
Colombia & USA · real prices, measured in minimum-wage salaries
Your plan to buy it
With your income and savings rate, how long until the keys?
Then vs. now
Pick a year and see if a minimum wage bought more house back then.
| Metric | Then · 2000 | Now · 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly minimum wage | $893 | $1,257 |
| Estimated price of this home | $165,300 | $415,000 |
| Salaries to buy it | 185 | 330 |
Minimum salaries needed to buy this home, by year
Historical prices estimated with the national used-housing price index (nominal); minimum wage is the official rate for each year.
How much have prices risen?
Pick any two years — the chart and averages follow your range.
National home price index, nominal · 2010 = 100
Housing vs. other investments
Same money, same years — housing (appreciation + rent) against stocks, fixed income and inflation.
After 15 years: housing $1.3M · stocks $1.7M · fixed income $803.1K
Real-life historical averages
- US home prices (FRED median): ~3.4%/yr (1990–2026); ~6%/yr in the 2012–2022 boom
- Gross rental yield US: ~4–7%/yr (≈5% typical)
- S&P 500 total return (1990–2026): ~10%/yr
- 12-month CDs (2024–2026): ~4–5%/yr · long-run T-bill average ~3%
- US inflation: ~2.6%/yr average (2000–2026), peak 9.1% in 2022
Educational comparison with constant average rates. Property costs (taxes, maintenance, vacancy) not modeled. Not investment advice.
Data sources & methodology
Colombia: official minimum wage decrees (1984–2026, incl. Decrees 1469/1470 of 2025 setting 2026 at $1,750,905 COP); price per m² from La Galería Inmobiliaria / Ciencuadras market reports (2026); historical prices approximate Banco de la República's used-housing price index (IPVU). USA: FRED median sales price (MSPUS), Zillow city typical values (2026), federal minimum wage history. All figures are nominal averages for education, not appraisals.