Torii gate in Lake Biwa, Shiga
Photo: Torii gate in Lake Biwa, Shiga · alina ozerova / Unsplash

Hikone 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)
¥18.0M
Residential land per m² (sales)
¥29k/m²
-38.3% over 5 years
Transactions in 2025
223
#7 of 12 areas in Shiga by price per m²

What the data says

Price growth is speeding up

House values per m² have risen about 1% a year over the past five years, faster than the 0.7% 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 Shiga

Per m², houses here are 19% below the Shiga average. Ten years ago the gap was 10%, so Hikone City has been falling behind the rest of Shiga.

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 20% 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 ¥5.7M and ¥28.0M. Listings outside that range are either unusual properties or worth a closer look.

A shrinking population

The population fell 1.8% between 2020 and 2025 (−1.5% for the wider area). Moves in and out roughly balanced in 2025. Households still grew 5% as people live in smaller households, which supports demand for smaller homes even as the population shrinks.

Many abandoned homes

14.8% of homes were empty in 2023 (12.3% for the wider area), and 8.8% 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 46% chance of shaking of intensity 6-lower or stronger in the next 30 years (21% for the wider area). Post-1981 buildings are designed for this level of shaking, but check ground conditions and insurance.

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. They are still 49% 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, 75% are inside the worst-case flood 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 Hikone City: people, homes and risks

Population 2025
111,647
-1.8% since 2020
Shiga: -1.5%
Net moves in 2025
-89
-0.8 per 1,000 residents
Shiga: +0.25
Vacant homes (2023)
14.8%
8.8% empty and not for rent or sale
Shiga: 12.3%
Median rent (2023)
¥50k
per month, all rented homes
Shiga: ¥52k
Strong earthquake risk
46.0%
chance of shaking of intensity 6-lower or more within 30 years
Shiga: 20.6%
Official land price 2026
¥40k/m²
0.0% in a year · -3.7% in 5 years
Shiga: ¥41k/m²
Flood exposure
75.0%
of 28 benchmark sites in a worst-case flood zone (0.0% 3 m or deeper)
Shiga: 50.0%
Landslide exposure
0.0%
of 28 benchmark sites in a landslide warning area
Shiga: 1.6%

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 Hikone 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.

Condo

Lower-priced2025 Q3

¥6.0M

¥109k/m²

  • Yasukiyohigashimachi
  • Hikone · 8 min walk
  • 3LDK · 55 m²
  • Built 1996 (29 yrs) · SRC
Typical2026 Q1

¥11.0M

¥183k/m²

  • Serikawacho
  • Hikone · 28 min walk
  • 3LDK · 60 m²
  • Built 1992 (34 yrs) · RC
Higher-priced2026 Q1

¥15.0M

¥250k/m²

  • Okamachi
  • Minami Hikone · 19 min walk
  • 2LDK · 60 m²
  • Built 1992 (34 yrs) · RC

House

Lower-priced2026 Q1

¥7.0M

¥36k/m²

  • Toriimotocho
  • Toriimoto · 2 min walk
  • Land 440 m² · floor 195 m²
  • Built 1973 (53 yrs) · Wood
Typical2025 Q4

¥16.0M

¥31k/m²

  • Honjocho
  • Inae
  • Land 880 m² · floor 510 m²
  • Built 1977 (48 yrs) · Wood
Higher-priced2025 Q4

¥30.0M

¥97k/m²

  • Hiratacho
  • Minami Hikone · 21 min walk
  • Land 640 m² · floor 310 m²
  • Built 1985 (40 yrs) · Light steel
Median transaction price by year2026 so far: treat with caution — The 2026 figure (shaded) is 36% below 2025, but it covers only part of the year and 30 house sales so far. Early-year numbers are often revised and are easily skewed by a few large deals.
¥0¥10.0M¥20.0M¥30.0M2007200920112013201520172019202120232025
Show data table
YearCondoHouse
2007–¥18.0M
2008–¥18.0M
2009–¥21.5M
2010–¥18.0M
2011–¥19.0M
2012–¥20.0M
2013¥7.3M¥18.5M
2014–¥16.0M
2015–¥18.0M
2016–¥18.0M
2017–¥18.0M
2018–¥21.0M
2019–¥21.0M
2020–¥15.0M
2021–¥17.0M
2022–¥17.5M
2023–¥17.0M
2024–¥21.0M
2025–¥18.0M
2026 (partial)–¥11.5M
Median price per m² by year
¥0¥50k¥100k¥150k2007200920112013201520172019202120232025
Show data table
YearCondoHouseLand
2007–¥118k/m²¥46k/m²
2008–¥136k/m²¥54k/m²
2009–¥149k/m²¥56k/m²
2010–¥131k/m²¥48k/m²
2011–¥120k/m²¥48k/m²
2012–¥128k/m²¥49k/m²
2013¥118k/m²¥139k/m²¥51k/m²
2014–¥133k/m²¥46k/m²
2015–¥118k/m²¥45k/m²
2016–¥127k/m²¥43k/m²
2017–¥145k/m²¥27k/m²
2018–¥123k/m²¥37k/m²
2019–¥148k/m²¥45k/m²
2020–¥95k/m²¥47k/m²
2021–¥135k/m²¥43k/m²
2022–¥113k/m²¥34k/m²
2023–¥117k/m²¥42k/m²
2024–¥115k/m²¥50k/m²
2025–¥140k/m²¥29k/m²
2026 (partial)–¥110k/m²¥51k/m²
Price per m² by building age (2021–2025 sales)
¥0¥100k¥200k¥300k¥400k05101520253035404550
Show data table
Building age (years)CondoHouse
0–¥255k/m²
1–¥231k/m²
2–¥318k/m²
25–¥113k/m²
30–¥96k/m²
33¥116k/m²–
43–¥63k/m²
50–¥44k/m²
House price per m² by construction period
¥0¥100k¥200k¥300k200820102012201420162018202020222024

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
2008–¥130k/m²¥268k/m²–
2009–¥125k/m²¥278k/m²–
2010–¥109k/m²¥261k/m²–
2011–¥108k/m²–¥209k/m²
2012–––¥218k/m²
2013–¥104k/m²–¥238k/m²
2014–¥92k/m²–¥190k/m²
2015¥81k/m²¥85k/m²–¥200k/m²
2016–¥98k/m²–¥190k/m²
2017–¥104k/m²–¥210k/m²
2018¥71k/m²––¥245k/m²
2019–¥97k/m²–¥243k/m²
2020–¥75k/m²––
2021–¥77k/m²–¥200k/m²
2022–¥109k/m²––
2023¥71k/m²¥114k/m²––
2024–¥105k/m²––

Prices near train stations in Hikone City

Sales from 2023–2025, grouped by nearest station.

StationMedian used condo priceCondo price per m²Median house price (land + building)Walk (min)Sales
Hikone (彦根)¥10.5M¥177k/m²¥16.0M15119
Minami Hikone (南彦根)¥13.3M¥184k/m²¥23.0M15106
Hikone Serikawa (ひこね芹川)––¥12.0M1027
Kawase (河瀬)––¥20.0M1625
Hikoneguchi (彦根口)––¥20.5M624
Inae (稲枝)––¥14.0M624
Toriimoto (鳥居本)––¥3.8M610

Used condo prices by layout in Hikone City

Sales from 2023–2025.

LayoutMedian used condo priceTypical sizeSales
3LDK¥10.0M60 m²26

How much does a house cost in Hikone City?

The median house sale, including the land, was ¥18.0M in 2025 across 87 sales.

Are property prices in Hikone City going up?

Over the five years to 2025, residential land prices changed -38.3%.

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.