Jeonse and Monthly Rent Prices Post Largest Rise in 3 Years and 10 Months

Prices for jeonse and monthly rent (jeonse deposits and monthly rents) in October rose 1.4% from a year earlier, the largest increase since December 2022, or in 3 years and 10 months. The National Data Agency (formerly Statistics Korea) surveys about 11,000 rent-paying households nationwide each month to publish this index, with the rate of increase reflecting both existing and new contracts.

The pace of increase in jeonse and monthly rent prices has widened through 2026. The rise grew steadily from 0.9% in January–March 2026 and 1.0% in April–June to 1.1% in July, 1.2% in August, 1.3% in September, and 1.4% in October. Broken down by type, jeonse prices rose 1.4% and monthly rent prices rose 1.5% in October. The Bank of Korea raised its base rate by 0.25 percentage points in both July and August 2026.

Jeonse and monthly rent costs account for a large share of ordinary households' living expenses.