The Conversion of Chonsei into Monetary Costs and its Relationship with the Consumer Price Index

Abstract

The Chonsei component holds the highest level of weight (5.4%) in the composition of the Korean consumer price index (CPI). The variations in Chonsei prices are directly reflected in the CPI as a representation of cost swings. The Chonsei refers to a deposit that accumulates the costs related to housing services and is mostly affected by variations in rental rates. Nevertheless, it is important to note that Chonsei prices are also susceptible to fluctuations in interest rates, regardless of the rent prices. Therefore, if Chonsei were directly and one-to-one indexed to the CPI, they could include changes other than residential service prices. After analyzing the time series data of the Chonsei index and rent index inside the CPI, it becomes apparent that the Chonsei index displays an average annual growth rate of 2.3%, whilst the rent index reveals a growth rate of 0.9%. The observed disparity in growth rates indicates a divergence in trends between the two indices. It is posited that the Chonsei index, when capitalized, has had a more rapid increase compared to the rental index, owing to the gradual drop in interest rates. To effectively reflect fluctuations in the housing service costs, proxies for the Chonsei index were utilized in the construction of a consumer price index. The findings of our study suggest that, overall, the newly developed CPI demonstrates a comparatively lower rate of inflation when compared to the official CPI. Furthermore, the inclusion of imputed rents for owner-occupied housing in CPI amplifies this effect.

Keywords

• 소비자물가지수
• 전세
• 주거비
• consumer price index
• chonsei
• long term deposit rent
• housing expenses