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The General Authority for Statistics released its Real Estate Price Index on October 20 showing a 1.2 percent annual increase for the third quarter of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier. GASTAT figures place the annual gain slightly below the 1.3 percent recorded in the second quarter. The authority’s data also indicated a quarterly drop in the index to 105.1 points from 106.3 points in the prior period according to Trading Economics which compiles the official releases.
Residential properties which carry a 72.7 percent weighting in the overall index rose 2.3 percent on an annual basis during the quarter the authority detailed. GASTAT data places the increase in residential land prices at 4.9 percent while apartments advanced 1.7 percent and residential floors gained 0.8 percent. Villas however registered a 7.7 percent decline over the year-earlier period.
Agricultural real estate prices climbed 3.9 percent year-on-year according to the same GASTAT release which attributed the overall index performance to the mixed movements across sectors. The commercial sector experienced an annual decline that offset some of the gains in residential and agricultural segments the authority’s breakdown implied. Such patterns have appeared in prior releases including the second-quarter report that showed a 3.2 percent commercial drop.
Regionally the annual gains were concentrated in select areas with the Riyadh region posting a 4.6 percent increase in real estate prices GASTAT reported. The Northern Borders region recorded the strongest advance at 12 percent while other regions saw more modest movement or declines the authority’s regional tables indicated. Most administrative regions experienced price declines during the quarter limiting the nationwide annual gain.
The latest reading continues a period of relatively modest annual growth in the Saudi real estate market. Global Property Guide analysis of GASTAT series shows the nominal house price index stood at 106.34 points in the second quarter of 2026 before the third-quarter adjustment with the base period set at 2023 according to the authority’s methodology report. The index has climbed from a record low of 80.1 points registered in the first quarter of 2019 according to the same compilation of official statistics.
Separate data from the General Authority for Real Estate highlighted softening transaction activity that may relate to the price trends. Amlak Real Estate’s summary of the authority’s September 2026 bulletin showed residential transactions falling 13 percent year-on-year to 19,911 deals. The value of those residential transactions dropped to SAR 14.94 billion from SAR 17.90 billion in August the General Authority for Real Estate figures indicated.
