Get all the data you need about the real estate market in South Korea
We update this blog post regularly so the figures you see always reflect the latest market conditions.
South Korea's rental market in March 2026 is going through a real shift, with monthly rent becoming the norm and compact units in employment hubs pulling ahead on yield.
Whether you are looking at Seoul or the wider metro area, the numbers tell a clear story about where the income actually is.
And if you're planning to buy a property in South Korea, you may want to download our real estate pack about South Korea.
A quick summary table
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| South Korea neighborhood with the best rental yield | Songdo (studio officetel, 5.40% gross) |
| South Korea neighborhood with the weakest rental yield | Gangnam (two-bedroom apartment, 3.35% gross) |
| Average gross yield across South Korea neighborhoods | 4.27% |
| Average net yield across South Korea neighborhoods | 3.26% |
| Median purchase price in the dataset | KRW 620,000,000 |
| Average monthly rent across South Korea markets | KRW 2,630,000 |
| Average occupancy rate | 93.7% |
| Fastest leasing South Korea market | Pangyo studio officetel (8 days average) |
| Slowest leasing South Korea market | Yongsan/Hannam three-bedroom apartment (18 days average) |
| Highest occupancy South Korea market | Pangyo officetels (97%) |
| Best value high-yield segment in South Korea | Studio and one-bedroom officetels in Songdo, Pangyo, and Gwanggyo |
| Yield dispersion (top vs bottom) | 5.40% gross down to 3.35% gross (a 2.05 percentage point gap) |
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South Korea neighborhoods and property types in 2026 ranked by rental yield
This table ranks the top neighborhoods and property types in the South Korea residential rental market 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 South Korea.
| # | 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 | Songdo | Studio officetel | 5.40% | 4.34% | KRW 240,000,000 | KRW 1,080,000 | KRW 2,550,000 | 94% | 12 days | Young professionals in IFEZ | New supply competition | Top Pick |
| 2 | Songdo | One-bedroom officetel | 5.10% | 4.04% | KRW 320,000,000 | KRW 1,360,000 | KRW 3,250,000 | 94% | 13 days | Expats and office workers | Supply pipeline pressure | Strong Potential |
| 3 | Songdo | Two-bedroom apartment | 4.62% | 3.67% | KRW 520,000,000 | KRW 2,000,000 | KRW 3,650,000 | 93% | 15 days | International school families | Slower resale liquidity | Good Potential |
| 4 | Haeundae | One-bedroom officetel | 5.20% | 4.18% | KRW 300,000,000 | KRW 1,300,000 | KRW 3,000,000 | 93% | 14 days | Coastal professionals and singles | Seasonal demand swings | Strong Potential |
| 5 | Haeundae | Two-bedroom apartment | 4.94% | 3.95% | KRW 620,000,000 | KRW 2,550,000 | KRW 3,850,000 | 92% | 16 days | Dual-income coastal households | Luxury-demand volatility | Strong Potential |
| 6 | Haeundae | Three-bedroom apartment | 4.42% | 3.39% | KRW 950,000,000 | KRW 3,500,000 | KRW 5,300,000 | 91% | 18 days | Affluent local families | Premium resale volatility | Good Potential |
| 7 | Gwanggyo | Studio officetel | 5.17% | 4.13% | KRW 260,000,000 | KRW 1,120,000 | KRW 2,650,000 | 95% | 11 days | Young office workers | Competing new towers | Strong Potential |
| 8 | Gwanggyo | One-bedroom officetel | 4.76% | 3.78% | KRW 340,000,000 | KRW 1,350,000 | KRW 3,300,000 | 95% | 12 days | Public sector professionals | Nearby supply competition | Good Potential |
| 9 | Gwanggyo | Two-bedroom apartment | 4.03% | 3.10% | KRW 700,000,000 | KRW 2,350,000 | KRW 4,900,000 | 94% | 13 days | Family commuters to Seoul | Future supply additions | Good Potential |
| 10 | Pangyo | Studio officetel | 5.14% | 4.15% | KRW 420,000,000 | KRW 1,800,000 | KRW 3,900,000 | 97% | 8 days | Tech workers near Pangyo Techno Valley | Expensive entry pricing | Top Pick |
| 11 | Pangyo | One-bedroom officetel | 4.85% | 3.84% | KRW 520,000,000 | KRW 2,100,000 | KRW 4,450,000 | 97% | 9 days | High-income tech tenants | Overspending on entry price | Strong Potential |
| 12 | Pangyo | Two-bedroom apartment | 4.11% | 3.15% | KRW 1,050,000,000 | KRW 3,600,000 | KRW 6,200,000 | 96% | 11 days | Senior tech households | Thin yields after taxes | Good Potential |
| 13 | Suji | One-bedroom officetel | 5.03% | 4.01% | KRW 310,000,000 | KRW 1,300,000 | KRW 3,050,000 | 95% | 12 days | Seoul commuters and singles | Seoul spillover cooling | Strong Potential |
| 14 | Suji | Two-bedroom apartment | 4.20% | 3.28% | KRW 600,000,000 | KRW 2,100,000 | KRW 4,000,000 | 94% | 14 days | Family Seoul commuters | Rent sensitivity vs Bundang | Good Potential |
| 15 | Suji | Three-bedroom apartment | 3.81% | 2.84% | KRW 850,000,000 | KRW 2,700,000 | KRW 5,800,000 | 93% | 15 days | School-focused families | Slower turnover on bigger units | Moderate Appeal |
| 16 | Seongsu | Studio officetel | 4.56% | 3.57% | KRW 500,000,000 | KRW 1,900,000 | KRW 4,750,000 | 96% | 10 days | Design and startup workers | Fast price overbidding | Strong Potential |
| 17 | Seongsu | One-bedroom officetel | 3.97% | 3.00% | KRW 620,000,000 | KRW 2,050,000 | KRW 5,350,000 | 96% | 10 days | High-income creative professionals | Valuation overshoot risk | Good Potential |
| 18 | Seongsu | Two-bedroom apartment | 3.69% | 2.73% | KRW 1,300,000,000 | KRW 4,000,000 | KRW 7,500,000 | 94% | 13 days | Affluent couples near CBD | Yield squeeze from capital gains chase | Moderate Appeal |
| 19 | Mapo | Studio officetel | 4.30% | 3.31% | KRW 460,000,000 | KRW 1,650,000 | KRW 4,500,000 | 96% | 10 days | Media and office workers | Older stock in some blocks | Strong Potential |
| 20 | Mapo | One-bedroom apartment | 4.03% | 3.09% | KRW 700,000,000 | KRW 2,350,000 | KRW 4,900,000 | 95% | 11 days | Young couples near CBD | High buyer competition | Good Potential |
| 21 | Mapo | Two-bedroom apartment | 3.86% | 2.92% | KRW 980,000,000 | KRW 3,150,000 | KRW 5,900,000 | 94% | 12 days | Families near Yeouido and Hongdae | Compressed yield from prices | Good Potential |
| 22 | Yongsan/Hannam | One-bedroom officetel | 4.03% | 3.03% | KRW 700,000,000 | KRW 2,350,000 | KRW 5,900,000 | 95% | 11 days | Expats and executives | Policy and tax sensitivity | Good Potential |
| 23 | Yongsan/Hannam | Two-bedroom apartment | 3.64% | 2.60% | KRW 1,650,000,000 | KRW 5,000,000 | KRW 8,950,000 | 93% | 15 days | Expat families and executives | Diplomatic-area price volatility | Moderate Appeal |
| 24 | Yongsan/Hannam | Three-bedroom apartment | 3.42% | 2.30% | KRW 2,600,000,000 | KRW 7,400,000 | KRW 13,800,000 | 91% | 18 days | Diplomatic and luxury families | Narrow tenant pool | Limited Appeal |
| 25 | Jamsil | One-bedroom officetel | 3.75% | 2.78% | KRW 720,000,000 | KRW 2,250,000 | KRW 5,750,000 | 95% | 12 days | Professionals near Songpa offices | Expensive entry cost | Good Potential |
| 26 | Jamsil | Two-bedroom apartment | 3.69% | 2.72% | KRW 1,350,000,000 | KRW 4,150,000 | KRW 7,850,000 | 94% | 13 days | Family tenants by schools | Tax-heavy ownership costs | Moderate Appeal |
| 27 | Jamsil | Three-bedroom apartment | 3.57% | 2.52% | KRW 1,850,000,000 | KRW 5,500,000 | KRW 10,200,000 | 92% | 16 days | School-driven family tenants | Large tax and management bills | Moderate Appeal |
| 28 | Gangnam | Studio officetel | 3.67% | 2.67% | KRW 850,000,000 | KRW 2,600,000 | KRW 6,600,000 | 95% | 12 days | Finance and medical professionals | Very high buy-in | Good Potential |
| 29 | Gangnam | One-bedroom apartment | 3.55% | 2.52% | KRW 1,150,000,000 | KRW 3,400,000 | KRW 8,450,000 | 94% | 13 days | Premium single professionals | Yield compression | Moderate Appeal |
| 30 | Gangnam | Two-bedroom apartment | 3.35% | 2.27% | KRW 1,900,000,000 | KRW 5,300,000 | KRW 11,400,000 | 93% | 15 days | Wealthy couples near jobs | Heavy holding-tax exposure | Moderate Appeal |
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Key insights about rental yields in South Korea
Insights
- Pangyo officetels hit 97% occupancy with an average of just 8 to 9 days to rent, the strongest leasing speed in the South Korea dataset, driven directly by the density of tech jobs at Pangyo Techno Valley nearby.
- The gross yield gap between the best entry (Songdo studio officetel at 5.40%) and the weakest (Gangnam two-bedroom apartment at 3.35%) is over two full percentage points, entirely explained by purchase price inflation rather than rent differences.
- South Korea officetels consistently outperform full apartments on income yield across every neighborhood in this dataset, because their purchase prices rise more slowly than the premium apartment market while rents stay competitive.
- Seoul assessed apartment values jumped 18.67% in 2026 versus 9.16% nationally, but this price surge has not been matched by equivalent rent increases, which is why Seoul prime net yields are now often below 3% after costs.
- Songdo stands out as a rare case where yield, occupancy, and tenant diversity all score well together: expats, IFEZ professionals, and international school families create a mix that reduces single-demand risk.
- South Korea now has 8.04 million one-person households, equal to 36.1% of all households. This structural shift means compact rental units are not a niche strategy, they are the mainstream demand in most neighborhoods.
- Haeundae in Busan is the only non-Seoul, non-Incheon area that competes on both yield and occupancy. Its one-bedroom officetel posts a 5.20% gross yield and 93% occupancy, numbers that beat most Seoul districts on income return.
- Net yield in Yongsan and Hannam collapses fast as unit size grows. A one-bedroom officetel there nets 3.03%, but a three-bedroom apartment nets only 2.30%, because larger units carry disproportionately higher holding taxes and management costs.
- Over 54.9% of South Korea's housing stock is already 20 years old or more. In lower-cost neighborhoods, this can make older buildings look cheap to buy, but the maintenance drag often offsets the apparent yield advantage.
- The shift from jeonse to monthly rent (wolse) is structurally positive for income-focused landlords in South Korea. More tenants are now paying monthly cash rather than large upfront deposits, which improves cash flow predictability.
- Seongsu is one of the only Seoul neighborhoods where occupancy stays at 96% even as purchase prices climb sharply. That resilience is real, but it means future yield compression is likely if prices continue rising faster than rents.
- For a first rental property in South Korea, the clearest pattern is this: markets like Mapo, Gwanggyo, Suji, and Songdo offer a better balance of entry price, yield, and liquidity than either Gangnam or Yongsan.
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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 South Korea.
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, not random listings or unsupported figures. More on that point below.
For each South Korea neighborhood and property type, 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 included both official Korean government data and institutional reports from established real estate research firms with Korea coverage.
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 vary meaningfully across the South Korea market. That is why two neighborhoods with similar monthly rents can still produce very different net returns.
For example, officetel buildings in tech hubs like Pangyo or Songdo carry different management fee structures than aging apartment stock in Mapo or Suji. In high-demand Seoul districts like Gangnam and Jamsil, holding taxes have risen sharply following the 2026 assessed value increases, which adds a significant cost layer that does not exist at the same level in second-tier markets.
We also estimated ownership annual fees by combining the main recurring costs linked to each asset. This includes items such as Korean property holding tax, building management fees (gwallibi), insurance, and a routine maintenance allowance.
These estimates were not applied as one flat number across the whole country. They were adjusted by neighborhood and property type to reflect the real cost structure in each market, including the difference between officetel ownership costs and full apartment ownership costs in South Korea.
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 South Korea.
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 South Korea, 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Korea Real Estate Board (REB) – National Survey of House Price Trends | This is South Korea's main official real estate statistics producer, covering sale prices, jeonse rates, and monthly rent trends nationwide. | We used it as the core official framework for measuring price, jeonse, and monthly rent direction across South Korea. We also used its survey scope to understand which housing types are consistently tracked. |
| MOLIT Real Transaction Disclosure System | This is the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport's official platform for reported property sale and lease transactions in South Korea. | We used it as the benchmark for real transaction evidence at neighborhood level. We then cross-checked our pricing estimates against live transaction records to keep our figures grounded in reality. |
| Public Data Portal – Apartment Rent Transaction API | This is the Korean government's official open-data portal for reported apartment rent transactions, offering detailed unit-level data. | We used it to access structured monthly rent transaction records at the apartment level. We then used that data to calibrate monthly rent estimates for apartment-heavy South Korea neighborhoods. |
| KOSIS – Korean Statistical Information Service | This is the national statistical portal operated by the Korean government, covering demographics, housing stock, and household formation data. | We used it to understand the structural demand context, including one-person household growth and housing age. We also used it to support demand-side interpretation across South Korea's rental neighborhoods. |
| Statistics Korea – 2024 Population and Housing Census | This is South Korea's official national census release, providing the most comprehensive data on household composition and housing stock age. | We used it to confirm that 36.1% of Korean households are now single-person households and that over half the housing stock is 20 years old or more. We then used those figures to interpret why compact units drive rental demand across the country. |
| KB Land Data Hub | KB is one of the most established housing data providers in South Korea, with consistent historical and current price series across regions. | We used it to cross-check price levels and relative positioning across South Korea districts. We also used it when official series were too aggregated for practical neighborhood-level comparison. |
| Savills Korea – 2025 Korea Residential Market Outlook | Savills is a major international real estate consultancy with a dedicated Korea research team producing institutional-grade market reports. | We used it to capture the structural shift from jeonse to monthly rent (wolse) and how it is changing landlord strategies. We also used it to frame risk in non-apartment assets and the deposit-return issues affecting jeonse in some South Korea markets. |
| InvestKOREA – Applicable Taxes | This is the Korean government's official investment guide covering acquisition tax, holding tax, and related costs for property owners in South Korea. | We used it to anchor the holding-tax ranges and acquisition-tax references underpinning our cost estimates. We then applied those ranges to calculate realistic ownership cost drag between gross and net yield for each neighborhood. |
| Bank of Korea – Financial and Economic Snapshot | This is the central bank's official dashboard, covering affordability indicators, credit conditions, and the broader housing cycle in South Korea. | We used it for top-down context on affordability and where South Korea sits in the current housing cycle. We also used it to assess whether high-price areas were likely to see further yield compression. |
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