Prices of both new and existing homes continued to rise in most Chinese cities in September, according to official data released on October 22.

Of a statistical pool of 70 major Chinese cities, 65 saw a month-on-month rise in the cost of new homes, down from 66 in August, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said.

According to the NBS, 63 cities reported month-on-month price gains for existing and second-hand homes in September, compared to 58 in August.

Growth rates in first-tier cities were significantly higher compared to second- and third-tier cities. New home prices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen rose by an average 1.4 percent month on month while those in 35 third-tier cities rose by 0.6 percent on average, according to the NBS.