Matsumoto Castle, Matsumoto, Nagano
Photo: Matsumoto Castle, Matsumoto, Nagano · Nakaharu Line / Unsplash

Chikuma 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)
¥20.0M
Residential land per m² (sales)
¥20k/m²
-2.4% over 5 years
Transactions in 2025
132
#7 of 24 areas in Nagano by price per m²

What the data says

Prices are still rising, but more slowly

Growth has cooled to about 1% a year, down from 4.1% a year in the previous five years. This looks more like a maturing market than a turning point, and it gives buyers a bit more room to negotiate.

Outperforming Nagano

Per m², houses here are 15% above the Nagano average. The premium has grown from 9% ten years ago, so Chikuma City has been outperforming its surroundings.

What a typical purchase costs

Half of all house sales last year were between ¥7.5M and ¥31.0M. Listings outside that range are either unusual properties or worth a closer look.

A shrinking population

The population fell 2.9% between 2020 and 2025 (−4.5% for the wider area). More people moved in than out in 2025, a net gain of about 3.5 per 1,000 residents, so demand for homes is being topped up by newcomers. Households still grew 3.1% as people live in smaller households, which supports demand for smaller homes even as the population shrinks.

Many abandoned homes

18.4% of homes were empty in 2023 (20.1% for the wider area), and 10.7% 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 12% chance of shaking of intensity 6-lower or stronger in the next 30 years (20% for the wider area). This is low by Japanese standards, although no part of Japan is free of earthquake risk.

Official land prices are flat

On the government's fixed benchmark sites, which are valued the same way every year, residential land prices changed 0% in the year to January 2026 and -4% over five years. 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, 86% are inside the worst-case flood zone (86% 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 Chikuma City: people, homes and risks

Population 2025
57,161
-2.9% since 2020
Nagano: -4.5%
Net moves in 2025
+199
+3.48 per 1,000 residents
Nagano: -0.72
Vacant homes (2023)
18.4%
10.7% empty and not for rent or sale
Nagano: 20.1%
Median rent (2023)
¥47k
per month, all rented homes
Nagano: ¥49k
Strong earthquake risk
11.9%
chance of shaking of intensity 6-lower or more within 30 years
Nagano: 19.8%
Official land price 2026
¥26k/m²
0.0% in a year · -3.9% in 5 years
Nagano: ¥30k/m²
Flood exposure
85.7%
of 7 benchmark sites in a worst-case flood zone (85.7% 3 m or deeper)
Nagano: 55.7%
Landslide exposure
0.0%
of 7 benchmark sites in a landslide warning area
Nagano: 7.5%

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 Chikuma 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 Q4

¥6.5M

¥42k/m²

  • Oaza Wakamiya
  • Togura
  • Land 250 m² · floor 155 m²
  • Built 1985 (40 yrs) · Wood
Typical2026 Q1

¥18.0M

¥189k/m²

  • Oaza Jakumaku
  • Chikuma · 25 min walk
  • Land 270 m² · floor 95 m²
  • Built 2018 (8 yrs) · Wood
Higher-priced2025 Q3

¥39.0M

¥312k/m²

  • Oaza Togura
  • Togura · 13 min walk
  • Land 460 m² · floor 125 m²
  • Built 2002 (23 yrs) · Steel
Median transaction price by yearA sharp recent rise — The median house price rose 33% between 2023 and 2025. Prices per m² rose 59% too, so this is a genuine like-for-like increase, not just bigger homes selling. With only 61 house sales in 2025, a handful of expensive deals can move the median a lot.
¥0¥10.0M¥20.0M¥30.0M200820102012201420162018202020222024
Show data table
YearHouse
2008¥15.0M
2009¥9.6M
2010¥7.8M
2011¥11.0M
2012¥11.5M
2013¥13.5M
2014¥14.0M
2015¥14.0M
2016¥18.0M
2017¥8.8M
2018¥17.0M
2019¥13.5M
2020¥18.5M
2021¥21.5M
2022¥16.5M
2023¥15.0M
2024¥15.5M
2025¥20.0M
Median price per m² by year
¥0¥50k¥100k¥150k¥200k200820102012201420162018202020222024
Show data table
YearHouseLand
2008¥88k/m²¥30k/m²
2009¥90k/m²¥29k/m²
2010¥67k/m²¥25k/m²
2011¥85k/m²¥23k/m²
2012¥77k/m²¥27k/m²
2013¥75k/m²¥24k/m²
2014¥100k/m²¥23k/m²
2015¥115k/m²¥23k/m²
2016¥157k/m²¥26k/m²
2017¥78k/m²¥22k/m²
2018¥139k/m²¥24k/m²
2019¥100k/m²¥20k/m²
2020¥164k/m²¥21k/m²
2021¥171k/m²¥15k/m²
2022¥148k/m²¥17k/m²
2023¥90k/m²¥15k/m²
2024¥133k/m²¥21k/m²
2025¥144k/m²¥20k/m²
Price per m² by building age (2021–2025 sales)
¥0¥100k¥200k¥300k05101520253035404550
Show data table
Building age (years)House
0¥256k/m²
1¥215k/m²
50¥49k/m²
House price per m² by construction period
¥0¥100k¥200k¥300k2008201020122014201620182020

Each line follows buildings from one construction period over time. 1981 is when Japan's current earthquake-resistance standard (shin-taishin) took effect.

Show data table
Year1981-20002011-2020
2008¥92k/m²–
2016–¥230k/m²
2018¥74k/m²¥236k/m²
2019–¥236k/m²
2020–¥230k/m²

Prices near train stations in Chikuma City

Sales from 2023–2025, grouped by nearest station.

StationMedian used condo priceCondo price per m²Median house price (land + building)Walk (min)Sales
Yashiro (屋代)––¥22.0M1661
Togura (戸倉)––¥11.0M1550
Chikuma (千曲)––¥24.5M1334
Yashirokoko Mae (屋代高校前)––¥18.0M1515

How much does a house cost in Chikuma City?

The median house sale, including the land, was ¥20.0M in 2025 across 61 sales.

Are property prices in Chikuma City going up?

Over the five years to 2025, residential land prices changed -2.4%.

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.