Jungnang-gu tops national apartment price gains as demand shifts to Seoul's outer districts

Demand from first-time homebuyers gravitating toward relatively affordable mid- to low-priced apartments has widened price gains in Seoul's outer districts, with Jungnang-gu recording the highest apartment price increase of any city, county or district in the country. The so-called "Nodo-gang" cluster — Nowon-gu, Dobong-gu and Gangbuk-gu — also posted larger gains than the previous week.

According to the Korea Real Estate Board's weekly apartment price survey for the fourth week of July 2026 (as of Monday), Seoul apartment prices rose 0.25 percent this week, easing from 0.27 percent the previous week. Analysts attributed the slowdown to a wait-and-see mood ahead of an expected tax reform announcement and tightening loan regulations.

Gains narrowed particularly in the three Gangnam districts — Gangnam-gu (0.10 percent to 0.07 percent), Seocho-gu (0.10 percent to 0.05 percent) and Songpa-gu (0.29 percent to 0.20 percent) — as well as in Han River belt areas including Gwangjin-gu (0.16 percent to 0.10 percent) and Seongdong-gu (0.22 percent to 0.14 percent).

Outer districts, however, broadly accelerated. Jungnang-gu led all municipalities nationwide with a 0.53 percent weekly gain. Nowon-gu rose to 0.46 percent from 0.43 percent the previous week, Dobong-gu edged up to 0.23 percent from 0.22 percent, and Gangbuk-gu climbed to 0.33 percent from 0.27 percent. Geumcheon-gu also widened its gain to 0.35 percent from 0.32 percent.

Areas designated as regulated zones and land transaction permit zones earlier this month — Dongtan, Guri and Giheung — are showing signs of cooling. The weekly price gain for apartments in Dongtan-gu, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province, which stood at 1.46 percent in the last week of June, fell to 0.15 percent this week. Giheung-gu in Yongin slipped to 0.45 percent from 0.49 percent the previous week, while Guri dropped to 0.20 percent from 0.27 percent.

The overall apartment price gain for Gyeonggi Province also narrowed, to 0.15 percent from 0.17 percent the previous week.

Nam Hyeok-woo, a real estate researcher at Woori Bank, said that in northeastern Seoul — where jeonse prices have risen sharply while sale prices lagged — values are now climbing consistently. "Particularly in areas such as Nowon-gu and Jungnang-gu, where apartments priced around 600 million won ($414,000) are less affected by reduced loan limits, we are seeing a steady influx of real demand from single-person households without homes and newlywed couples, and these areas are recording double-digit growth rates," he said.

He added that because most buyers are end-users who still prioritize location above all else — and some are actively seeking lower-priced apartments within regulated zones — demand migration to non-regulated areas remains limited.