The State Statistical Bureau said on Nov 18 that the prices of Xiamen's new residences rose 0.4 percent in November in month-on-month terms, and surged 17.1 percent year-on-year, Strait Herald has reported. The house prices in the city have been rising for 18 months in a row, the fifth biggest increase in China, after Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai.

The statistics show that - compared to October - house prices in 70 major cities around the country surged 0.6 percent in November – and the house prices in Fuzhou showed the biggest increase, surging 1.3 percent.

The prices of second-hand residential properties surged in 63 cities in November compared to the previous month, and the prices increased in 68 cities compared to a year earlier.

The biggest month-on-month increase was 20.1 percent, while the biggest year-on-year increase reached 20.1 percent.

In November, the prices of Xiamen's second-hand residential properties saw a month-on-month increase of 0.4 percent, and a year-on-year increase of 7.4 percent. The average cost of such properties in Xiamen this November was 21,805.1 yuan （$3591）per square meter, the highest so far this year.