Tokyo’s mid-sized apartments saw greatest rental growth in Q3

These apartments are between 30 to 45 sqm in size.

According to a Savills report, Tokyo’s rental market is principally made up of compact single-occupier units, typically less than 45 sq m (13.6 tsubo) in size. Such units can often make up as much as 70% or more of the 23W area’s rental listings.

“Unlike major Western global cities such as New York and London, house or apartment sharing does not form a meaningful segment of the rental market. As a result, there is a large, stable market for small- to mid-sized units,” the report said.

Here’s more from Savills:

Average rents have shown moderate increases across all three size bands in the C5W over Q3/2025. The medium 30-45 sq m size band saw the greatest increase at a solid 2.4% QoQ, followed by the larger 45-60 sq m size band which experienced a 1.2% QoQ increase, while the smaller 15-30 sq m size band saw a modest increase of 0.9% QoQ. This may be seen as a market adjustment accounting for the limited stock of mid-sized units which strike a good balance between space and affordability.

Despite the growing supply of larger-sized band rental residential units in 2024 compared to previous years, according to the Ministry of Land, Industry, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), it appears that the larger-size bands maintain a premium over the smaller units, supported by demand from well-paid working professionals living in the city centre close to their offices. Flexible work arrangements remain prevalent which entices some residents to rent larger spaces to be used as a home office for remote work.

Overall, rents for all three size bands continue to grow together after experiencing a slight correction from the previous quarter. Moving forward, the market should see a tighter balance across all size-bands, supported by consistent strong foreign resident inflow helping to maintain rental growth.