Kintaikyo Bridge, Iwakuni, Yamaguchi
Photo: Kintaikyo Bridge, Iwakuni, Yamaguchi · Shino Nakamura / Unsplash

Hofu 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)
¥19.5M
Residential land per m² (sales)
¥20k/m²
-9.1% over 5 years
Transactions in 2025
215
#4 of 13 areas in Yamaguchi by price per m²

What the data says

The trend has turned down

After rising earlier, house prices per m² have slipped by about 2.1% a year over the last five years. That often reflects weaker local demand, so check vacancy and population trends before buying.

Outperforming Yamaguchi

Per m², houses here are 58% above the Yamaguchi average. The premium has grown from 2% ten years ago, so Hofu City has been outperforming its surroundings.

Sales are thinning out

Transactions are down about 17% 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 ¥4.5M and ¥30.0M. Listings outside that range are either unusual properties or worth a closer look.

A shrinking population

The population fell 3.7% between 2020 and 2025 (−5.8% for the wider area). More people moved out than in during 2025 (about 2.1 per 1,000 residents), which weakens long-term housing demand.

Many abandoned homes

19.9% of homes were empty in 2023 (19.4% for the wider area), and 11.6% 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 11% 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 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 +4% over five years. They are still 50% 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, 42% 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 Hofu City: people, homes and risks

Population 2025
109,723
-3.7% since 2020
Yamaguchi: -5.8%
Net moves in 2025
-227
-2.07 per 1,000 residents
Yamaguchi: -3.88
Vacant homes (2023)
19.9%
11.6% empty and not for rent or sale
Yamaguchi: 19.4%
Median rent (2023)
¥46k
per month, all rented homes
Yamaguchi: ¥44k
Strong earthquake risk
10.7%
chance of shaking of intensity 6-lower or more within 30 years
Yamaguchi: 11.7%
Official land price 2026
¥30k/m²
+1.0% in a year · +3.8% in 5 years
Yamaguchi: ¥33k/m²
Flood exposure
42.3%
of 26 benchmark sites in a worst-case flood zone (0.0% 3 m or deeper)
Yamaguchi: 35.6%
Landslide exposure
3.8%
of 26 benchmark sites in a landslide warning area
Yamaguchi: 10.7%

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 Hofu 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

¥3.3M

¥28k/m²

  • Oaza Nami
  • Hofu
  • Land 520 m² · floor 120 m²
  • Built 1978 (48 yrs) · Wood
Typical2026 Q1

¥17.0M

¥243k/m²

  • Sennichi
  • Hofu · 19 min walk
  • Land 170 m² · floor 70 m²
  • Built 1981 (45 yrs) · Wood
Higher-priced2026 Q1

¥30.0M

¥97k/m²

  • Kuwanoyama
  • Hofu · 19 min walk
  • Land 1100 m² · floor 310 m²
  • Built 1996 (30 yrs) · Wood
Median transaction price by yearA jump driven by what sold — The median house price rose 50% between 2023 and 2025. Per m², prices rose only 32%, so most of the jump comes from larger or higher-end properties changing hands, not from the same homes getting that much more expensive. With only 108 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¥11.0M
2008¥12.5M
2009¥9.9M
2010¥14.0M
2011¥15.0M
2012¥15.0M
2013¥9.9M
2014¥10.5M
2015¥14.0M
2016¥12.0M
2017¥17.5M
2018¥19.0M
2019¥17.0M
2020¥18.0M
2021¥13.5M
2022¥13.0M
2023¥13.0M
2024¥16.5M
2025¥19.5M
2026 (partial)¥23.5M
Median price per m² by year
¥0¥50k¥100k¥150k¥200k2007200920112013201520172019202120232025
Show data table
YearHouseLand
2007¥102k/m²¥21k/m²
2008¥104k/m²¥23k/m²
2009¥96k/m²¥19k/m²
2010¥113k/m²¥20k/m²
2011¥108k/m²¥24k/m²
2012¥118k/m²¥21k/m²
2013¥68k/m²¥17k/m²
2014¥85k/m²¥17k/m²
2015¥93k/m²¥20k/m²
2016¥103k/m²¥19k/m²
2017¥122k/m²¥19k/m²
2018¥136k/m²¥18k/m²
2019¥124k/m²¥19k/m²
2020¥170k/m²¥22k/m²
2021¥110k/m²¥16k/m²
2022¥88k/m²¥14k/m²
2023¥100k/m²¥17k/m²
2024¥132k/m²¥21k/m²
2025¥132k/m²¥20k/m²
2026 (partial)¥119k/m²¥22k/m²
Price per m² by building age (2021–2025 sales)
¥0¥100k¥200k¥300k05101520253035404550
Show data table
Building age (years)House
0¥253k/m²
1¥257k/m²
34¥71k/m²
40¥45k/m²
47¥48k/m²
48¥37k/m²
49¥46k/m²
50¥30k/m²
House price per m² by construction period
¥0¥100k¥200k¥300k200720092011201320152017201920212023

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–¥93k/m²––
2008–¥72k/m²¥246k/m²–
2009–¥74k/m²¥216k/m²–
2010–¥89k/m²¥223k/m²–
2011–¥91k/m²–¥238k/m²
2012–¥100k/m²–¥220k/m²
2013¥49k/m²¥88k/m²––
2014–¥82k/m²––
2015–¥79k/m²–¥255k/m²
2016–¥77k/m²–¥282k/m²
2017–¥86k/m²–¥267k/m²
2018–¥108k/m²–¥240k/m²
2019–¥80k/m²–¥200k/m²
2020–––¥219k/m²
2021–¥71k/m²–¥243k/m²
2023–¥90k/m²––
2024¥50k/m²¥68k/m²––

Prices near train stations in Hofu City

Sales from 2023–2025, grouped by nearest station.

StationMedian used condo priceCondo price per m²Median house price (land + building)Walk (min)Sales
Hofu (防府)¥17.0M¥215k/m²¥17.0M19322
Daido (大道)––¥7.3M1816
Tonomi (富海)––¥6.2M1610

How much does a house cost in Hofu City?

The median house sale, including the land, was ¥19.5M in 2025 across 108 sales.

Are property prices in Hofu City going up?

Over the five years to 2025, residential land prices changed -9.1%.

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.