The ability for people in Kamloops to buy a house is deteriorating, according to a new report.

The draft Housing Needs Assessment says the median household income of $98,597 is not enough to afford the costs of the average single-family home, which costs $488,610.

By comparison, the report says that in 2005 a median household income could “easily” afford a single-family home in the city.

The city’s project manager on housing and homelessness Ty Helgason says it’s hard to pinpoint exactly why.

“I think what’s really valuable in this report is that it has included some projections as to how we can rectify the situation somewhat, and what supply we can provide to match the demand will be, and hopefully create a return to affordability,” Helgason says.

“We discovered that the majority of housing that will be needed between 2020 and 2027, both in affordable housing and in general market, will need to be for ownership rather than rental.”

The report also says the average residential home sale price increased by 120 per cent between 2006 and 2019, rising from $183,288 to $403,125 in that time. It says inflation increased by 18.8 per cent in that period of time.