Shinkyo Bridge, Nikko, Tochigi
Photo: Shinkyo Bridge, Nikko, Tochigi · Roméo A. / Unsplash

Shimotsuke 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)
¥30.0M
Residential land per m² (sales)
¥19k/m²
-20.8% over 5 years
Transactions in 2025
146
#2 of 17 areas in Tochigi by price per m²

What the data says

Price growth is speeding up

House values per m² have risen about 3% a year over the past five years, faster than the 0.8% 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.

Outperforming Tochigi

Per m², houses here are 69% above the Tochigi average. The premium has grown from 28% ten years ago, so Shimotsuke City has been outperforming its surroundings.

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.

What a typical purchase costs

Half of all house sales last year were between ¥22.0M and ¥39.0M. Listings outside that range are either unusual properties or worth a closer look.

A shrinking population

The population fell 0.9% between 2020 and 2025 (−3.5% for the wider area). Moves in and out roughly balanced in 2025. Households still grew 2.9% as people live in smaller households, which supports demand for smaller homes even as the population shrinks.

Typical vacancy

12.4% of homes were empty in 2023 (16.9% for the wider area), and 3.8% were empty without being for rent, for sale or used as second homes. The level of abandoned homes is around the national norm.

Moderate earthquake risk

The government's seismic model gives a 26% chance of shaking of intensity 6-lower or stronger in the next 30 years (17% for the wider area). Post-1981 buildings are designed for this level of shaking, but check ground conditions and insurance.

Official land prices are edging up

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 +2% 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, 6% 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 Shimotsuke City: people, homes and risks

Population 2025
58,995
-0.9% since 2020
Tochigi: -3.5%
Net moves in 2025
-22
-0.37 per 1,000 residents
Tochigi: -1.08
Vacant homes (2023)
12.4%
3.8% empty and not for rent or sale
Tochigi: 16.9%
Median rent (2023)
¥51k
per month, all rented homes
Tochigi: ¥48k
Strong earthquake risk
25.8%
chance of shaking of intensity 6-lower or more within 30 years
Tochigi: 16.5%
Official land price 2026
¥37k/m²
+0.9% in a year · +2.4% in 5 years
Tochigi: ¥29k/m²
Flood exposure
6.2%
of 16 benchmark sites in a worst-case flood zone (0.0% 3 m or deeper)
Tochigi: 31.1%
Landslide exposure
0.0%
of 16 benchmark sites in a landslide warning area
Tochigi: 0.7%

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 Shimotsuke 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

¥7.5M

¥52k/m²

  • Shiba
  • Koganei
  • Land 500 m² · floor 145 m²
  • Built 1992 (33 yrs) · Wood
Typical2025 Q4

¥25.0M

¥238k/m²

  • Koganei
  • Jichi Medical University · 18 min walk
  • Land 200 m² · floor 105 m²
  • Built 2025 (0 yrs) · Wood
Higher-priced2025 Q4

¥34.0M

¥324k/m²

  • Ekihigashi
  • Koganei · 9 min walk
  • Land 135 m² · floor 105 m²
  • Built 2024 (1 yrs) · Wood
Median transaction price by yearA sharp recent rise — The median house price rose 30% between 2023 and 2025. Prices per m² rose 53% too, so this is a genuine like-for-like increase, not just bigger homes selling. With only 54 house sales in 2025, a handful of expensive deals can move the median a lot.
¥0¥10.0M¥20.0M¥30.0M2007200920112013201520172019202120232025
Show data table
YearHouse
2007¥24.0M
2008¥16.0M
2009¥25.0M
2010¥24.5M
2011¥20.5M
2012¥24.0M
2013¥26.0M
2014¥24.0M
2015¥20.0M
2016¥23.0M
2017¥26.0M
2018¥22.0M
2019¥26.0M
2020¥25.0M
2021¥27.0M
2022¥24.5M
2023¥23.0M
2024¥26.0M
2025¥30.0M
2026 (partial)–
Median price per m² by year
¥0¥100k¥200k¥300k2007200920112013201520172019202120232025
Show data table
YearHouseLand
2007¥183k/m²¥30k/m²
2008¥157k/m²¥39k/m²
2009¥212k/m²¥42k/m²
2010¥195k/m²¥39k/m²
2011¥189k/m²¥47k/m²
2012¥174k/m²¥43k/m²
2013¥217k/m²¥24k/m²
2014¥190k/m²¥33k/m²
2015¥181k/m²¥20k/m²
2016¥200k/m²¥28k/m²
2017¥214k/m²¥32k/m²
2018¥160k/m²¥50k/m²
2019¥210k/m²¥32k/m²
2020¥178k/m²¥24k/m²
2021¥236k/m²¥14k/m²
2022¥200k/m²¥18k/m²
2023¥172k/m²¥21k/m²
2024¥185k/m²¥18k/m²
2025¥264k/m²¥19k/m²
2026 (partial)–¥25k/m²
Price per m² by building age (2021–2025 sales)
¥0¥100k¥200k¥300k05101520253035404550
Show data table
Building age (years)House
0¥264k/m²
1¥250k/m²
50¥76k/m²
House price per m² by construction period
¥0¥100k¥200k¥300k20082010201220142016201820202022

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
Year1981-20002001-20102011-2020
2008¥117k/m²––
2009–¥218k/m²–
2010¥141k/m²––
2012¥163k/m²––
2013¥170k/m²–¥226k/m²
2014––¥222k/m²
2015––¥243k/m²
2016––¥229k/m²
2017––¥260k/m²
2018¥138k/m²––
2019––¥287k/m²
2020¥147k/m²––
2022¥170k/m²––

Prices near train stations in Shimotsuke City

Sales from 2023–2025, grouped by nearest station.

StationMedian used condo priceCondo price per m²Median house price (land + building)Walk (min)Sales
Jichi Medical University (自治医大)––¥31.0M1561
Koganei (小金井)––¥23.0M1257
Ishibashi(Tochigi) (石橋(栃木))––¥23.0M1246

How much does a house cost in Shimotsuke City?

The median house sale, including the land, was ¥30.0M in 2025 across 54 sales.

Are property prices in Shimotsuke City going up?

Over the five years to 2025, residential land prices changed -20.8%.

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.