Himeji Castle, Hyogo
Photo: Himeji Castle, Hyogo · Svetlana Gumerova / Unsplash

Ako City Housing Market Report 2025

Data updated 2026-11-10 · Source: MLIT transaction price survey, 2005 Q3–2026 Q2

Key figures for 2025

Median house price (land + building)
¥9.5M
Residential land per m² (sales)
¥24k/m²
+14.3% over 5 years
Transactions in 2025
70
#28 of 41 areas in Hyogo by price per m²

What the data says

Price growth is speeding up

House values per m² have risen about 7% a year over the past five years, faster than the 12.2% a year of the five years before. Buyers waiting for a dip have so far been paying more each year, and that has not yet changed.

Lagging Hyogo

Per m², houses here are 62% below the Hyogo average. Ten years ago the gap was 51%, so Ako City has been falling behind the rest of Hyogo.

Sales are thinning out

Transactions are down about 21% on the previous three years. Fewer sales mean less choice and slower resale, so allow more time to sell later.

What a typical purchase costs

Half of all house sales last year were between ¥3.8M and ¥20.0M. Listings outside that range are either unusual properties or worth a closer look.

A shrinking population

The population fell 6.9% between 2020 and 2025 (−2.6% for the wider area). More people moved out than in during 2025 (about 5.5 per 1,000 residents), which weakens long-term housing demand.

Many abandoned homes

21.5% of homes were empty in 2023 (13.8% for the wider area), and 12.1% were empty without being for rent, for sale or used as second homes. That is a high share of truly abandoned homes (akiya), a sign of weak demand. Cheap houses are easy to find, but resale can be slow.

Moderate earthquake risk

The government's seismic model gives a 40% chance of shaking of intensity 6-lower or stronger in the next 30 years (33% for the wider area). Post-1981 buildings are designed for this level of shaking, but check ground conditions and insurance.

Official land prices are still falling

On the government's fixed benchmark sites, which are valued the same way every year, residential land prices changed -2% in the year to January 2026 and -12% over five years. They are still 55% below their 1991 bubble-era level. Because these sites don't change, this is the cleanest measure of land value trends.

Significant flood risk

Of the official land-price benchmark sites here, which sit in typical neighbourhoods, 87% are inside the worst-case flood zone (40% with expected depths of 3 m or more), 7% are in a landslide warning area. Most worst-case flood zones are shallow (under 0.5 m) at the edges, so depth matters as much as the share. Check the hazard map for any specific address before buying.

Living in Ako City: people, homes and risks

Population 2025
42,714
-6.9% since 2020
Hyogo: -2.6%
Net moves in 2025
-235
-5.5 per 1,000 residents
Hyogo: -0.39
Vacant homes (2023)
21.5%
12.1% empty and not for rent or sale
Hyogo: 13.8%
Median rent (2023)
¥48k
per month, all rented homes
Hyogo: ¥57k
Strong earthquake risk
40.1%
chance of shaking of intensity 6-lower or more within 30 years
Hyogo: 33.0%
Official land price 2026
¥44k/m²
-2.2% in a year · -11.8% in 5 years
Hyogo: ¥102k/m²
Flood exposure
86.7%
of 15 benchmark sites in a worst-case flood zone (40.0% 3 m or deeper)
Hyogo: 46.1%
Landslide exposure
6.7%
of 15 benchmark sites in a landslide warning area
Hyogo: 4.3%

Check flood, landslide and tsunami zones for a specific address on the government hazard map ↗

Sources: 2025 Census (preliminary), 2025 Internal Migration Report, 2023 Housing and Land Survey (Statistics Bureau of Japan); J-SHIS seismic hazard model (NIED, 2024); Land Price Publication (MLIT). Earthquake probability is measured at the municipal center.

Example sales in Ako City

Real transactions from the last four quarters, picked near the lower (20th percentile), middle and upper (80th percentile) price points. Locations are shown at district level, as published by MLIT.

House

Lower-priced2025 Q3

¥3.8M

¥25k/m²

  • Higashiune
  • Une · 26 min walk
  • Land 420 m² · floor 150 m²
  • Built 1969 (56 yrs) · Wood
Typical2025 Q4

¥7.5M

¥125k/m²

  • Nojincho
  • Banshu Ako · 11 min walk
  • Land 165 m² · floor 60 m²
  • Built 1961 (64 yrs) · Wood
Higher-priced2026 Q1

¥21.0M

¥145k/m²

  • Kariyanakasu
  • Banshu Ako · 7 min walk
  • Land 175 m² · floor 145 m²
  • Built 2009 (17 yrs) · Wood
Median transaction price by yearA sharp recent rise — The median house price rose 58% between 2023 and 2025. Prices per m² rose 58% too, so this is a genuine like-for-like increase, not just bigger homes selling. With only 37 house sales in 2025, a handful of expensive deals can move the median a lot.
¥0¥5.0M¥10.0M¥15.0M¥20.0M2007200920112013201520172019202120232025
Show data table
YearHouse
2007¥17.0M
2008¥15.0M
2009¥13.0M
2010¥14.0M
2011¥19.0M
2012¥20.0M
2013¥18.0M
2014¥14.0M
2015¥11.0M
2016¥16.0M
2017¥9.1M
2018¥14.5M
2019¥8.0M
2020¥7.8M
2021¥16.0M
2022¥7.5M
2023¥6.0M
2024¥7.5M
2025¥9.5M
2026 (partial)¥8.0M
Median price per m² by year
¥0¥50k¥100k¥150k¥200k2007200920112013201520172019202120232025
Show data table
YearHouseLand
2007¥127k/m²¥75k/m²
2008¥149k/m²¥67k/m²
2009¥95k/m²¥55k/m²
2010¥130k/m²¥58k/m²
2011¥158k/m²¥55k/m²
2012¥121k/m²¥61k/m²
2013¥120k/m²¥52k/m²
2014¥113k/m²¥29k/m²
2015¥87k/m²¥25k/m²
2016¥95k/m²¥34k/m²
2017¥80k/m²¥32k/m²
2018¥88k/m²¥52k/m²
2019¥56k/m²¥21k/m²
2020¥48k/m²¥21k/m²
2021¥101k/m²¥28k/m²
2022¥90k/m²¥25k/m²
2023¥50k/m²¥38k/m²
2024¥67k/m²¥20k/m²
2025¥79k/m²¥24k/m²
2026 (partial)¥70k/m²–
Price per m² by building age (2021–2025 sales)
¥0¥100k¥200k¥300k05101520253035404550
Show data table
Building age (years)House
0¥210k/m²
50¥31k/m²

Prices near train stations in Ako City

Sales from 2023–2025, grouped by nearest station.

StationMedian used condo priceCondo price per m²Median house price (land + building)Walk (min)Sales
Banshu Ako (播州赤穂)––¥10.8M1582
Sakoshi (坂越)––¥10.4M816

How much does a house cost in Ako City?

The median house sale, including the land, was ¥9.5M in 2025 across 37 sales.

Are property prices in Ako City going up?

Over the five years to 2025, residential land prices changed +14.3%.

About this data

Figures are medians of real transactions reported to Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) through its quarterly price survey. House prices per m² divide the total price (land and building) by the floor area. Medians based on fewer than 20 sales are not shown. The latest quarters are preliminary and are revised as more survey responses arrive.

Information only, not investment advice.