An average Melbourne household would be saving for 9.5 years to get the keys to a median-priced property.

The wait would be even longer for a chef on a typical wage, who’d need 20 years to accumulate a deposit, according to Finder.

The time frame was also lengthy for a secretary with a standard income (16 years and two months), nurse (14 years and two months), plumber (13 years) and primary school teacher (12 years and 10 months).

But a typical surgeon would be able to pull together the funds in three years and five months.

The Demographia report stated “the middle class is under threat” in the globe’s priciest housing markets.

It found the worst levels of affordability in Hong Kong, where the median house price was 20.8 times the median household income, followed by Vancouver (11.9) and Sydney (11).

Melbourne’s ratio was 9.5. It only improved marginally from 9.7 the year before, despite the city’s property market having been hit by a price downturn from late 2017 to mid 2019.

A ratio of three or below was considered affordable, with 5.1 or above deemed severely unaffordable.

Realestate.com.au chief economist Nerida Conisbee said Melbourne had ranked 19th on Demographia’s first global list in 2005, with affordability levels plummeting since.

“Melbourne was more affordable than big cities like Los Angeles, New York and London then,” she said.

Ms Conisbee said an increase in property supply and restriction on finance were required to improve housing affordability.

She said the latter recently occurred during the banking royal commission, with Melbourne becoming “far more affordable” as a result.

But that was short lived, with dwelling values soaring 6.1 per cent in the final three months of 2019 alone, according to CoreLogic.

Finder money expert Bessie Hassan said while breaking into the property market seemed like an unachievable dream for many, financial discipline could get wannabe buyers there faster.

“The best way to boost your savings is to increase your income, whether that’s by taking up a side hustle or asking for a pay rise,” she said.

“You’d also be amazed by how much you can save by regularly reviewing your finances and trimming any excess spending.”

How long it takes to save a house deposit

Profession – average yearly income – time needed to save 20 per cent deposit

Surgeon – $247,957 – 3 years 5 months

Engineer – $111,563, 7 years 7 months

Accountant – $98,293 – 8 years 9 months

Police officer – $91,841 – 9 years 2 months

High schoolteacher – $76,064 – 11 years 1 months

Primary schoolteacher – $65,577 – 12 years 10 months

Plumber – $64,838 – 13 years

Nurse – $59,582 – 14 years 2 months

Secretary – $52,181 – 16 years 2 months

Chef – $46,009 – 19 years 6 months

Source: Finder