Kumamoto Castle, Kumamoto
Photo: Kumamoto Castle, Kumamoto · Mohammed Kertiou / Unsplash

Hitoyoshi 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)
¥7.3M
Residential land per m² (sales)
¥14k/m²
-6.7% over 5 years
Transactions in 2025
80
#15 of 19 areas in Kumamoto by price per m²

What the data says

Price growth is speeding up

House values per m² have risen about 0% a year over the past five years, faster than the 2.4% 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 Kumamoto

Per m², houses here are 67% below the Kumamoto average. Ten years ago the gap was 54%, so Hitoyoshi City has been falling behind the rest of Kumamoto.

What a typical purchase costs

Half of all house sales last year were between ¥2.4M and ¥15.5M. Listings outside that range are either unusual properties or worth a closer look.

A shrinking population

The population fell 7.4% between 2020 and 2025 (−3.5% for the wider area). More people moved out than in during 2025 (about 8 per 1,000 residents), which weakens long-term housing demand.

Many abandoned homes

18.7% of homes were empty in 2023 (14.9% for the wider area), and 8.9% 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.

Lower earthquake risk

The government's seismic model gives a 4% chance of shaking of intensity 6-lower or stronger in the next 30 years (15% for the wider area). This is low by Japanese standards, although no part of Japan is free of earthquake risk.

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 -1% in the year to January 2026. 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, 60% are inside the worst-case flood zone (40% with expected depths of 3 m or more). 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 Hitoyoshi City: people, homes and risks

Population 2025
28,803
-7.4% since 2020
Kumamoto: -3.5%
Net moves in 2025
-231
-8.02 per 1,000 residents
Kumamoto: -1.39
Vacant homes (2023)
18.7%
8.9% empty and not for rent or sale
Kumamoto: 14.9%
Median rent (2023)
¥41k
per month, all rented homes
Kumamoto: ¥47k
Strong earthquake risk
4.2%
chance of shaking of intensity 6-lower or more within 30 years
Kumamoto: 14.9%
Official land price 2026
¥19k/m²
-1.2% in a year · – in 5 years
Kumamoto: ¥54k/m²
Flood exposure
60.0%
of 5 benchmark sites in a worst-case flood zone (40.0% 3 m or deeper)
Kumamoto: 51.3%
Landslide exposure
0.0%
of 5 benchmark sites in a landslide warning area
Kumamoto: 0.8%

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 Hitoyoshi 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

¥3.5M

¥41k/m²

  • Shimosatsumazemachi
  • Hitoyoshi · 24 min walk
  • Land 340 m² · floor 85 m²
  • Built 1987 (38 yrs) · Wood
Typical2026 Q2

¥7.5M

¥45k/m²

  • Higashiaidakamimachi
  • Hitoyoshi · 25 min walk
  • Land 480 m² · floor 165 m²
  • Built 1978 (48 yrs) · Wood
Higher-priced2026 Q2

¥17.0M

¥142k/m²

  • Onigimachi
  • Sagarahan Ganjyoji · 7 min walk
  • Land 400 m² · floor 120 m²
  • Built 1995 (31 yrs) · Wood
Median transaction price by year
¥0¥5.0M¥10.0M200820102012201420162018202020222024
Show data table
YearHouse
2008¥8.0M
2009¥9.4M
2010¥5.0M
2011¥6.3M
2012¥6.5M
2013¥5.2M
2014¥7.2M
2015¥5.7M
2016¥5.4M
2017¥5.0M
2018¥5.6M
2019¥8.3M
2020¥8.2M
2021¥4.3M
2022¥5.8M
2023¥6.9M
2024¥4.0M
2025¥7.3M
Median price per m² by year
¥0¥20k¥40k¥60k¥80k200820102012201420162018202020222024
Show data table
YearHouseLand
2008¥52k/m²¥17k/m²
2009¥66k/m²¥16k/m²
2010¥59k/m²¥12k/m²
2011¥64k/m²–
2012¥66k/m²¥15k/m²
2013¥55k/m²¥10k/m²
2014¥61k/m²¥16k/m²
2015¥48k/m²¥13k/m²
2016¥50k/m²–
2017¥48k/m²¥14k/m²
2018¥39k/m²¥9k/m²
2019¥46k/m²¥13k/m²
2020¥50k/m²¥15k/m²
2021¥40k/m²¥12k/m²
2022¥54k/m²¥17k/m²
2023¥55k/m²¥14k/m²
2024¥44k/m²¥15k/m²
2025¥52k/m²¥14k/m²

Prices near train stations in Hitoyoshi City

Sales from 2023–2025, grouped by nearest station.

StationMedian used condo priceCondo price per m²Median house price (land + building)Walk (min)Sales
Hitoyoshi (人吉)––¥8.8M1825
Sagarahan Ganjyoji (相良藩願成寺)––¥8.3M1012

How much does a house cost in Hitoyoshi City?

The median house sale, including the land, was ¥7.3M in 2025 across 39 sales.

Are property prices in Hitoyoshi City going up?

Over the five years to 2025, residential land prices changed -6.7%.

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.