Tunnel of Light, Tokamachi, Niigata
Photo: Tunnel of Light, Tokamachi, Niigata · Susann Schuster / Unsplash

Joetsu 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)
¥11.0M
Residential land per m² (sales)
¥11k/m²
-38.9% over 5 years
Transactions in 2025
389
#9 of 25 areas in Niigata by price per m²

What the data says

Price growth is speeding up

House values per m² have risen about 1.6% a year over the past five years, faster than the 4.2% 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.

Moving with Niigata

Per m², houses here are 20% below the Niigata average. That position has barely changed in ten years, so it moves with the wider market.

Station distance barely matters

Houses 11–15 minutes from a station sell for similar or higher prices than those near one, which usually means buyers here drive or value quiet residential streets.

Sales are thinning out

Transactions are down about 18% 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 ¥3.6M and ¥24.8M. Listings outside that range are either unusual properties or worth a closer look.

A shrinking population

The population fell 6.1% between 2020 and 2025 (−6% for the wider area). More people moved out than in during 2025 (about 4.1 per 1,000 residents), which weakens long-term housing demand. Households still grew 0.4% as people live in smaller households, which supports demand for smaller homes even as the population shrinks.

Typical vacancy

13.4% of homes were empty in 2023 (15.3% for the wider area), and 7.5% were empty without being for rent, for sale or used as second homes. The level of abandoned homes is around the national norm.

Lower earthquake risk

The government's seismic model gives a 7% chance of shaking of intensity 6-lower or stronger in the next 30 years (12% 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 and -7% over five years. They are still 34% below their 1991 bubble-era level. Because these sites don't change, this is the cleanest measure of land value trends.

Some flood or landslide exposure

Of the official land-price benchmark sites here, which sit in typical neighbourhoods, 62% are inside the worst-case flood zone, 9% are in a tsunami inundation zone. 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 Joetsu City: people, homes and risks

Population 2025
176,644
-6.1% since 2020
Niigata: -6.0%
Net moves in 2025
-731
-4.14 per 1,000 residents
Niigata: -3.08
Vacant homes (2023)
13.4%
7.5% empty and not for rent or sale
Niigata: 15.3%
Median rent (2023)
¥48k
per month, all rented homes
Niigata: ¥49k
Strong earthquake risk
7.2%
chance of shaking of intensity 6-lower or more within 30 years
Niigata: 11.9%
Official land price 2026
¥26k/m²
-1.4% in a year · -7.1% in 5 years
Niigata: ¥28k/m²
Flood exposure
62.2%
of 45 benchmark sites in a worst-case flood zone (2.2% 3 m or deeper)
Niigata: 64.2%
Tsunami exposure
8.9%
of 45 benchmark sites in a tsunami inundation zone
Niigata: 12.2%
Landslide exposure
0.0%
of 45 benchmark sites in a landslide warning area
Niigata: 2.7%

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 Joetsu 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-priced2026 Q1

¥3.5M

¥21k/m²

  • Chuo
  • Naoetsu · 8 min walk
  • Land 130 m² · floor 165 m²
  • Built 1988 (38 yrs) · Wood
Typical2026 Q2

¥13.0M

¥124k/m²

  • Showamachi
  • Takada(Niigata) · 19 min walk
  • Land 250 m² · floor 105 m²
  • Built 1976 (50 yrs) · Steel
Higher-priced2025 Q4

¥28.0M

¥329k/m²

  • Inada
  • Takada(Niigata)
  • Land 250 m² · floor 85 m²
  • Built 2025 (0 yrs) · Wood
Median transaction price by year2026 so far: treat with caution — The 2026 figure (shaded) is 45% above 2025, but it covers only part of the year and 41 house sales so far. Early-year numbers are often revised and are easily skewed by a few large deals.
¥0¥5.0M¥10.0M¥15.0M¥20.0M2007200920112013201520172019202120232025
Show data table
YearCondoHouse
2007–¥14.0M
2008–¥10.0M
2009–¥10.0M
2010–¥9.8M
2011–¥10.0M
2012–¥10.0M
2013¥18.5M¥10.0M
2014–¥11.0M
2015–¥12.0M
2016–¥12.0M
2017–¥12.0M
2018–¥9.3M
2019–¥9.6M
2020–¥9.0M
2021–¥8.5M
2022–¥7.5M
2023–¥9.0M
2024–¥7.1M
2025–¥11.0M
2026 (partial)–¥16.0M
Median price per m² by year
¥0¥100k¥200k¥300k2007200920112013201520172019202120232025
Show data table
YearCondoHouseLand
2007–¥97k/m²¥25k/m²
2008–¥75k/m²¥28k/m²
2009–¥64k/m²¥25k/m²
2010–¥66k/m²¥20k/m²
2011–¥66k/m²¥22k/m²
2012–¥74k/m²¥21k/m²
2013¥244k/m²¥71k/m²¥20k/m²
2014–¥69k/m²¥19k/m²
2015–¥62k/m²¥20k/m²
2016–¥68k/m²¥24k/m²
2017–¥62k/m²¥23k/m²
2018–¥54k/m²¥23k/m²
2019–¥51k/m²¥21k/m²
2020–¥54k/m²¥18k/m²
2021–¥55k/m²¥18k/m²
2022–¥45k/m²¥23k/m²
2023–¥57k/m²¥19k/m²
2024–¥46k/m²¥17k/m²
2025–¥68k/m²¥11k/m²
2026 (partial)–¥102k/m²¥22k/m²
Price per m² by building age (2021–2025 sales)
¥0¥100k¥200k¥300k05101520253035404550
Show data table
Building age (years)House
0¥248k/m²
1¥266k/m²
2¥280k/m²
14¥140k/m²
24¥68k/m²
25¥74k/m²
26¥53k/m²
27¥54k/m²
28¥71k/m²
29¥63k/m²
30¥45k/m²
32¥54k/m²
33¥41k/m²
34¥35k/m²
35¥39k/m²
36¥39k/m²
37¥59k/m²
38¥71k/m²
39¥32k/m²
40¥38k/m²
41¥31k/m²
42¥22k/m²
44¥12k/m²
45¥34k/m²
46¥17k/m²
47¥24k/m²
48¥20k/m²
49¥12k/m²
50¥13k/m²
House price per m² by construction period
¥0¥100k¥200k¥300k2007200920112013201520172019202120232025

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
Year1971-19801981-20002001-20102011-2020
2007¥46k/m²¥92k/m²¥209k/m²–
2008¥45k/m²¥77k/m²¥193k/m²–
2009¥38k/m²¥73k/m²¥200k/m²–
2010¥54k/m²¥78k/m²¥190k/m²–
2011¥56k/m²¥58k/m²–¥212k/m²
2012¥37k/m²¥83k/m²––
2013¥53k/m²¥70k/m²–¥200k/m²
2014¥39k/m²¥59k/m²–¥215k/m²
2015¥31k/m²¥67k/m²–¥200k/m²
2016¥35k/m²¥63k/m²–¥227k/m²
2017¥44k/m²¥60k/m²–¥225k/m²
2018¥25k/m²¥56k/m²–¥230k/m²
2019¥28k/m²¥57k/m²–¥263k/m²
2020¥22k/m²¥46k/m²¥135k/m²¥219k/m²
2021¥23k/m²¥55k/m²¥129k/m²–
2022¥12k/m²¥51k/m²––
2023¥22k/m²¥49k/m²––
2024¥20k/m²¥50k/m²––
2025¥15k/m²¥54k/m²––

Prices near train stations in Joetsu City

Sales from 2023–2025, grouped by nearest station.

StationMedian used condo priceCondo price per m²Median house price (land + building)Walk (min)Sales
Takada(Niigata) (高田(新潟))––¥9.9M19176
Naoetsu (直江津)––¥12.5M1991
Kasugayama (春日山)––¥13.0M2168
Minami Takada (南高田)––¥9.9M1330
Kuroi(Niigata) (黒井(新潟))––¥14.0M2417
Kakizaki (柿崎)––¥3.9M1217
Joetsumyoko (上越妙高)––¥8.8M615
Katamachi (潟町)––¥6.4M1311

How much does a house cost in Joetsu City?

The median house sale, including the land, was ¥11.0M in 2025 across 178 sales.

Are property prices in Joetsu City going up?

Over the five years to 2025, residential land prices changed -38.9%.

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.