Silver vs. home prices since 1987
Silver is gold's smaller, more volatile cousin — and that volatility shows up clearly when comparing it to a slow-moving series like median home prices. The chart indexes both series to 100 at the displayed start year so you can compare growth rates regardless of absolute price levels.
Silver vs. home prices — FAQ
Why is silver so much more volatile than home prices?
Silver has a large industrial-demand component (electronics, solar, photography historically) on top of its monetary role. Home prices reflect housing supply, mortgage rates, and demographics — slow-moving fundamentals. The two series respond to very different forcing functions.
Why does the chart start in 1987?
The Case-Shiller National Home Price Index begins in January 1987. Earlier home-price data is in the Shiller historical dataset back to 1890 but not yet wired into this chart.
Is silver a "poor man's gold"?
Sometimes — when both metals rise together, silver tends to rise faster (the "high beta" property). When both fall, silver tends to fall faster. Toggle gold on the chart from the silver vs. home prices page to see how the two metals correlate.