"We've had our ups and downs."
The national median house price rose more than 12 percent in the year, to $629,000, just shy of the previous month's record.
The average NZ house price is $700k.
"Hope your life will be happier with 1 million yen."
But ACT says the research isn't applicable to New Zealand.
Only two in five said their pay was keeping up with, or outpacing, the cost of living.
Consumer NZ has a few tips.
Demand is booming for the Salvation Army's Good Shop service.
This decade saw it go from being a DVD mail order service to the world's biggest streaming site.
