Sydney house prices rose 29.6 per cent last year, adding nearly $1000 each day or a total of $359,616 in 12 months, while Canberra prices climbed by about $700 daily, in a year of extraordinary property price growth, the CoreLogic December home value index shows.

All capitals posted healthy yearly gains, but the markets have started to diverge, as poor affordability and a flood of listings dampened growth in Sydney and Melbourne, while the smaller and cheaper capitals powered ahead.