Get all the data you need about the real estate market in Seoul
We update this blog post regularly so the data you see always reflects current market conditions.
Seoul's rental market in March 2026 continues to attract both local and international investors.
Yields vary a lot by neighborhood and property type, and the difference between the best and worst options can be significant.
And if you're planning to buy a property in Seoul, you may want to download our real estate pack about Seoul.
A quick summary table
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Seoul neighborhood with best rental yield | Yongsan (Studio Apartment, 6.75%) |
| Seoul neighborhood with worst rental yield | Gangnam (3-Bedroom Apartment, 5.14%) |
| Average gross yield across Seoul | ~5.99% |
| Average net yield across Seoul | ~4.21% |
| Median purchase price in Seoul | ₩400,000,000 |
| Average monthly rent in Seoul | ₩1,987,000 |
| Average occupancy rate in Seoul | ~94% |
| Fastest-leasing Seoul market | Itaewon Studio and Yongsan Studio (6 days) |
| Slowest-leasing Seoul market | Yongsan 3-Bedroom Apartment (16 days) |
| Highest occupancy Seoul market | Itaewon Studio (99%) |
| Best value high-yield segment in Seoul | Yongsan Studio Apartment (6.75% gross, 4.50% net) |
| Yield dispersion across Seoul | 5.14% to 6.75% (gap of ~1.61 percentage points) |
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Seoul neighborhoods and property types in 2026 ranked by rental yield
This table ranks the top Seoul neighborhoods and property types by gross rental yield.
For each neighborhood and property type, the table includes average purchase price, average monthly rent, gross rental yield, net rental yield, annual fees, average occupancy, average time to rent, main rental demand, main risk, and investment profile.
By the way, you'll find much more detailed data in our real estate pack about Seoul.
| # | Neighborhood | Property type | Gross rental yield | Net rental yield | Average purchase price | Average monthly rent | Ownership annual fees | Average occupancy | Average time to rent | Main rental demand | Main risk | Rental Investment Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yongsan | Studio Apartment | 6.75% | 4.50% | ₩320,000,000 | ₩1,800,000 | ₩6,000,000 | 96% | 6 days | Singles, expats, university students | High competition from other central areas | Good Potential |
| 2 | Hongdae | 1-Bedroom Apartment | 6.40% | 4.70% | ₩300,000,000 | ₩1,600,000 | ₩5,200,000 | 96% | 9 days | Students, young creatives | Overcrowded rental market in student areas | Strong Potential |
| 3 | Hongdae | Studio Apartment | 6.24% | 4.60% | ₩250,000,000 | ₩1,300,000 | ₩4,500,000 | 98% | 7 days | College students, international visitors | Property condition issues in older buildings | Moderate Appeal |
| 4 | Sinchon | Studio Apartment | 6.22% | 4.30% | ₩270,000,000 | ₩1,400,000 | ₩5,000,000 | 97% | 9 days | Students, young expats | Property wear and tear in older buildings | Good Potential |
| 5 | Itaewon | 1-Bedroom Apartment | 6.17% | 4.20% | ₩350,000,000 | ₩1,800,000 | ₩6,500,000 | 95% | 8 days | Singles, young professionals, retirees | Higher vacancies during off-seasons | Good Potential |
| 6 | Hongdae | 2-Bedroom Apartment | 6.13% | 4.50% | ₩450,000,000 | ₩2,300,000 | ₩7,000,000 | 93% | 13 days | Small families, professionals | Seasonal fluctuations in tenant demand | Good Potential |
| 7 | Gangnam | Studio Apartment | 6.00% | 4.50% | ₩300,000,000 | ₩1,500,000 | ₩5,000,000 | 98% | 7 days | Singles, students, young professionals | High tenant turnover and maintenance costs | Moderate Appeal |
| 8 | Sinchon | 2-Bedroom Apartment | 6.00% | 4.30% | ₩400,000,000 | ₩2,000,000 | ₩6,500,000 | 95% | 10 days | University students, young professionals | Rent reduction during peak university periods | Strong Potential |
| 9 | Itaewon | Studio Apartment | 5.76% | 4.10% | ₩250,000,000 | ₩1,200,000 | ₩5,000,000 | 99% | 6 days | Young professionals, artists | Risk of rent payment delays | Limited Appeal |
| 10 | Yongsan | 2-Bedroom Apartment | 5.60% | 4.10% | ₩600,000,000 | ₩2,800,000 | ₩7,500,000 | 93% | 12 days | Young professionals, expats | Risk of overvaluation in the long term | Moderate Appeal |
| 11 | Gangnam | 2-Bedroom Apartment | 5.45% | 4.10% | ₩550,000,000 | ₩2,500,000 | ₩7,500,000 | 95% | 10 days | Young professionals, expats | High competition from new developments | Strong Potential |
| 12 | Yongsan | 3-Bedroom Apartment | 5.33% | 4.00% | ₩750,000,000 | ₩3,200,000 | ₩8,000,000 | 90% | 16 days | Corporate tenants, high-income families | Low rental yields compared to other districts | Limited Appeal |
| 13 | Itaewon | 2-Bedroom Apartment | 5.22% | 3.80% | ₩450,000,000 | ₩2,200,000 | ₩7,000,000 | 92% | 12 days | Expats, diplomats, young professionals | Fluctuating demand from international clients | Moderate Appeal |
| 14 | Sinchon | 1-Bedroom Apartment | 5.71% | 4.10% | ₩350,000,000 | ₩1,700,000 | ₩6,000,000 | 94% | 8 days | Students, young professionals | Limited long-term rental potential | Moderate Appeal |
| 15 | Gangnam | 3-Bedroom Apartment | 5.14% | 3.90% | ₩700,000,000 | ₩3,000,000 | ₩9,000,000 | 90% | 14 days | Families, corporate tenants | Expensive upfront costs for tenants | Good Potential |
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Key insights about rental yields in Seoul
Insights
- Yongsan's studio apartments deliver the highest gross rental yield in Seoul at 6.75%, which is notable given the area's central location and relatively high purchase prices compared to outer districts.
- Hongdae consistently produces strong yields across all property types, ranging from 6.13% to 6.40%, making it the most reliable neighborhood for broad Seoul rental yield performance in 2026.
- The gap between gross and net yields in Seoul ranges from about 1.25 to 1.45 percentage points, meaning ownership costs are fairly predictable across neighborhoods and property types.
- Itaewon's studio apartments have the highest occupancy rate in the entire Seoul dataset at 99%, suggesting near-zero vacancy risk for small units targeting young professionals and artists.
- Gangnam's 3-bedroom apartments offer the lowest gross yield at 5.14% despite commanding the second-highest average purchase price in the dataset at ₩700 million, a sign that large Gangnam units are overpriced relative to rental income.
- Studios consistently outperform larger units in every Seoul neighborhood, with gross yields averaging around 6.25% for studios versus around 5.35% for 3-bedroom apartments.
- Yongsan 3-bedroom apartments take the longest to rent at 16 days, while studios in Itaewon and Yongsan rent out in just 6 days, showing that unit size has a strong effect on leasing speed across Seoul.
- Sinchon benefits from university-driven demand, with studio and 2-bedroom apartments both above 6% gross yield, making it one of the few neighborhoods where multiple property types simultaneously deliver strong returns.
- Despite its expat reputation and international appeal, Itaewon's 2-bedroom apartments yield only 5.22% gross, the same as or below more affordable neighborhoods, suggesting the expat premium does not always translate into better returns.
- Occupancy rates across Seoul's rental market stay between 90% and 99%, which is unusually tight and suggests that vacancy risk is low across the board, even in districts like Yongsan where larger units sit longer before being rented.
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About our methodology
We also believe it is important to show our reasoning. It is one of the ways we make our work solid, transparent, and rigorous, just as you will see in our real estate pack about Seoul.
First, please note that this data is updated regularly, so what you see here reflects the current values as of today.
In order to get reliable data, we applied a strict source filter. We only used authoritative, verifiable sources specific to the Seoul residential property market, not random listings or unsupported figures. More on that point below.
For each neighborhood and property type in Seoul, we then aggregated the freshest purchase price and monthly rent data available. When possible, we cross-checked multiple sources to confirm the same range.
This allowed us to estimate rental yield before costs. That is the gross yield, based on annual rent versus purchase price.
We then estimated rental yield after costs. That is the net yield, after recurring ownership and operating expenses.
These expenses can vary significantly by neighborhood in Seoul. That is why two areas with similar rents can still produce different net returns.
For example, some central Seoul areas like Gangnam and Yongsan carry higher maintenance costs due to newer or premium buildings, while older stock in Sinchon or Hongdae may require more frequent repairs. In high-turnover student-heavy areas, vacancy and tenant-related costs also tend to be higher.
We also estimated ownership annual fees by combining the main recurring costs linked to each asset. This includes items such as property taxes, building management fees, insurance, and a maintenance allowance, all of which are common costs for Seoul landlords.
These estimates were not applied as one flat number across the city. They were adjusted by neighborhood and property type to better reflect local Seoul ownership conditions.
This table should therefore be read as a structured market estimate, not as an exact guarantee of future performance. Honesty, quality, and rigor are at the core of our work, and they are also what you will find in our real estate pack about Seoul.
What sources have we used to write this blog article?
Whether it's in our blog articles or the market analyses included in our real estate pack about Seoul, we rely on verifiable sources and a transparent methodology.
We also aim to be fully transparent, so below we've listed the authoritative sources we used, and explained how we used them and the methods behind our estimates.
| Source | Why it's authoritative | How we used it |
|---|---|---|
| Seoul Statistics Office | This is the official source of city-level statistics for Seoul, published directly by the Seoul Metropolitan Government. | We used it to understand average property prices and rental trends across Seoul neighborhoods as of March 2026. It served as our primary baseline for market-level data. |
| Bank of Korea | As South Korea's central bank, it publishes official economic data that shapes the broader conditions influencing the Seoul housing market. | We referred to their reports to understand inflation trends and broader economic conditions affecting rental yields. This helped us contextualize the numbers within Seoul's macroeconomic environment. |
| Korea Appraisal Board | This is South Korea's leading property valuation body, providing independently verified real estate price data across the country. | We used their residential property price statistics to cross-check purchase price ranges in each Seoul neighborhood. Their valuation data helped confirm that our figures were in line with verified market levels. |
| Korea Real Estate Board | This government-affiliated body tracks national and regional real estate prices and produces regularly updated market reports. | We used their Seoul-specific data to understand rental demand and price trends by district. Their reports allowed us to align our neighborhood-level yield estimates with official transaction data. |
| CBRE Korea | CBRE is one of the world's largest real estate services firms and publishes detailed market research for the Seoul residential sector. | We analyzed their market reports to assess rental demand and yield ranges for specific property types in Seoul. Their data was particularly useful for understanding the expat and corporate rental segments in Gangnam and Itaewon. |
| JLL Korea | JLL is a globally recognized real estate advisory firm with deep local expertise in the Korean property market. | We used their Seoul market insights to cross-reference rental yield predictions and validate our neighborhood-level estimates. Their analysis of the Hongdae and Sinchon markets was especially helpful. |
| Korea Statistical Information Service (KOSIS) | KOSIS is the South Korean government's central statistical platform, aggregating data from dozens of official agencies. | We referred to KOSIS for broad statistical benchmarks on average rents and property prices across Seoul districts. It helped us identify trends that were consistent across multiple official datasets. |
| The Korea Herald | The Korea Herald is one of South Korea's most established English-language news outlets and covers real estate extensively. | We used it as a secondary source to cross-reference market trends and confirm rental yield patterns reported elsewhere. Their March 2026 coverage of Seoul's residential market helped verify the direction of recent price movements. |
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