Housing prices in 70 China's large and medium-sized cities rose 2.8 percent in September compared with the same month last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

Prices were up 0.7 percent from August, when they rose 2 percent from the same month in the previous year, the bureau announced Thursday.

Prices of new houses in September rose 2.7 percent from the same month last year, and 0.8 percent from August.

Housing prices in certain cities rose more quickly than in other cities. September prices in Guangzhou and Yinchuan rose 7.3 percent and in Kunming 6.1 percent from the same month last year.

In September, prices of second-hand homes in the 70 cities rose3.8 percent from a year earlier, and 0.5 percent from August.

(Xinhua News Agency October 15, 2009)