Japan residential rents rise across all categories for first time on-record says AtHome
- Adam German
- Apr 23
- 2 min read
Updated: Apr 30
Real estate information service AtHome on April 22 released its latest data on advertised rents for rental housing across major markets nationwide for March 2026, based on listings within its nationwide property portal.
The report defines “rent” as the total monthly amount paid by tenants, including base rent plus maintenance and common area fees. Notably, rents rose year-on-year across all regions and unit sizes for the first time since the survey began in January 2015.
The survey separates coverage into broader regions, prefectures, and major cities:
Region: Greater Tokyo (including Tokyo’s 23 wards and Tokyo non-23 wards)
Prefectures: Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba
Major cities: Sapporo, Sendai, Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe, Hiroshima and Fukuoka
RC rents post first nationwide, all-segment increase on record
For reinforced concrete (RC) rentals - typically mid- to high-rise buildings - the strongest year-on-year increases in advertised rents by unit size were recorded in:
Under 30 sqm (single occupants): Fukuoka, up 13.2% to an average of ¥65,527
30–50 sqm (couples): Saitama Prefecture, up 10.2% to ¥94,913
50–70 sqm (families): Fukuoka, up 15.1% to ¥136,629
Over 70 sqm (large families): Kyoto, up 12.4% to ¥211,590
RC and wood-frame rentals both posted year-on-year gains across all geographies and unit sizes, marking an unprecedented breadth of rental growth since 2015.
Map provided by AtHome, edited by Patience Realty.
Family-type RC units rose year-on-year across all areas for the seventh consecutive month. In the single-occupant segment, Tokyo’s 23 wards extended their record-high streak to 22 consecutive months, followed by Osaka at 20 months. Nagoya also recorded new highs across all unit sizes for the third straight month.
Wood-frame rents surge, led by regional city gains
Map provided by AtHome, edited by Patience Realty.
For wood-frame rentals - typically low-rise apartment buildings - the largest increases were seen in:
Single occupants: Sapporo, up 22.4% to ¥41,676
Couples: Tokyo’s 23 wards, up 10.7% to ¥125,976
Families: Sendai, up 9.4% to ¥80,299
Family-type wood-frame rents have now risen year-on-year across all areas for eight consecutive months. In the single-occupant segment, Tokyo’s 23 wards reached new post-2015 highs for the 11th straight month, while Fukuoka recorded record highs across all unit sizes for the third consecutive month.
The data points to sustained, broad-based rental growth across both structural types, with increases spanning metropolitan cores and regional cities alike.
Further Reading:
AtHome March 2026 Japan Nationwide Rental Trend Report (Japanese only; offers more granular information then that outlined above. Drop the PDF into your favorite AI-Bot for further analysis)
Source:
R.E. Port News (Japanese only)
