In May 2026, the Saudi real estate market saw mixed trends in sales and rental activity. Data from the monthly real estate market bulletin issued by the General Real Estate Authority a decline in real estate asset transaction indicators, while many rental market indicators continued to grow. The bulletin also noted changes in real estate brokerage activity, contracts, and real estate listings.
Residential Transactions
Statistics on real estate asset transactions showed a decline in the number of residential transactions to 17,006, representing a monthly decrease of 21% and an annual decrease of 34%, while the number of non-residential transactions fell to 1,938, representing a monthly decline of 24% and a yearly decline of 30%. The value of residential real estate transactions amounted to approximately 14.14 billion riyals, down 22% month-over-month and 63% year-over-year, while the value of non-residential transactions reached approximately 8.47 billion riyals, down 25% month-over-month and 85% year-over-year.
In terms of average transaction sizes, the average area in the residential sector rose to approximately 413 square meters, representing a monthly increase of 3% and an annual increase of 1%, while the average non-residential area decreased to approximately 26,601 square meters, a monthly decline of 10%, despite a year-over-year increase of 10%.
Regarding the average transaction value, the average value of residential transactions fell to approximately 716,000 riyals, a monthly decline of 5% and an annual decline of 8%, while the average value of a non-residential transaction fell to approximately 2.11 million riyals, a monthly decline of 7% and a yearly decline of 11%.
Rental Market Performance
In the rental market, the number of residential lease contracts rose to 239,041, representing a monthly increase of 7% and a yearly increase of 12%, while the number of non-residential lease contracts remained stable at 61,352 on an annual basis, with a monthly increase of 8%.
The number of residential lease transactions also rose to 263,144, representing a monthly increase of 4% and a yearly increase of 8%, while the number of non-residential lease transactions rose to 103,980, with a monthly growth of 11% and an annual growth of 30%.
The value of residential lease transactions, however, fell to approximately 987 million riyals, a monthly decline of 65% and a yearly decline of 71%, while the value of non-residential lease transactions rose to approximately 5.13 billion riyals, representing a monthly increase of 8% and a yearly increase of 85%.
Land Transactions
In the details of residential real estate transactions, the number of land transactions fell to 9,720, a monthly decline of 16% and a yearly decline of 34%, Duplex transactions also fell to 653, a monthly decrease of 19% and a yearly decrease of 24%, and single-story home transactions fell to 672, a monthly decline of 25% and a yearly decline of 9%.
Apartment transactions fell to 3,864, a monthly decrease of 27% and a yearly decrease of 43%, while villa transactions fell to 1,593, down 33% month-over-month and 19% year-over-year.
In terms of the value of residential transactions, the value of land transactions fell to approximately 7.47 billion riyals, a monthly decline of 17% and a yearly decline of 36%, while the value of duplex transactions fell to approximately 718 million riyals, a monthly decrease of 23% and a yearly decrease of 27%.
The value of single-story home transactions fell to approximately 603 million riyals, a monthly decline of 23% and a yearly decline of 9%, The value of apartment transactions also fell to approximately 2.70 billion riyals, a monthly decline of 21% and a yearly decline of 45%, while villa transactions recorded the largest decline, reaching approximately 2.10 billion riyals, down 35% month-over-month and 76% year-over-year.
Transaction Sizes
Regarding average transaction sizes, the average land area rose to 540 square meters, marking a monthly increase of 1% despite a year-over-year decline of 1%, while the average area of duplexes fell to 294 square meters, a monthly decline of 4% and an annual decline of 5%.
The average floor area remained stable at 201 square meters, with no change month-over-month or year-over-year, while the average apartment area fell to 157 square meters, a 3% decline both month-over-month and year-over-year, while the average area of villas rose to 445 square meters, marking a monthly increase of 1% and an annual increase of 11%.
As for the average transaction value, the average value of land transactions fell to approximately 574,000 riyals, a monthly decline of 4% and an annual decline of 10%, and the average transaction value for duplexes also fell to approximately 1.11 million riyals, a monthly and annual decline of 3%.
In contrast, the average transaction value for single-story homes rose to approximately 914 thousand riyals, representing a monthly increase of 1% and a yearly increase of 8%, while the average transaction value for apartments fell to approximately 658,000 riyals, a monthly decline of 1% and a yearly decline of 9%, and the average transaction value for villas also fell to approximately 1.35 million riyals, marking a monthly decline of 3% and a yearly decline of 24%.
Transaction Activity by Region
In terms of administrative regions, the Riyadh region led in the number of real estate transactions in May 2026 with 5,377 transactions, accounting for 28.38% of total transactions, followed by the Makkah region with 3,959 transactions (20.90%), and then the Eastern Province with 3,061 transactions (16.16%).
The Al-Qassim region recorded 1,659 transactions, accounting for 8.76%, while transactions in the Madinah region totaled 972, accounting for 5.13% of the total. The total number of transactions across the five regions reached approximately 15,028, representing 79.33% of the total real estate transactions during May 2026.
In terms of the value of real estate transactions, the Riyadh region led with a value of approximately 11.00 billion riyals, accounting for 48.65% of the total transaction value, followed by the Makkah region with a value of 4.90 billion riyals, accounting for 21.66%, and then the Eastern Province with a value of 3.38 billion riyals, accounting for 14.95%.
The value of transactions in the Madinah region reached approximately 877.3 million riyals, accounting for 3.88%, while the Asir region recorded approximately 583.6 million riyals, accounting for 2.58%. The value of transactions across the five regions totaled approximately 20.74 billion riyals, representing 91.72% of the total value of real estate transactions during May 2026.
In the rental market, the Riyadh region led in the number of rental transactions during May 2026 with 118,559 transactions, accounting for 32.29% of the total, followed by the Makkah region with 91,285 transactions, representing 24.86%, and then the Eastern Province with 59,495 transactions, representing 16.21%. The Madinah region recorded 21,036 transactions, accounting for 5.73%, and the Asir region recorded 17,620 transactions, accounting for 4.80%. The total number of transactions across the five regions reached approximately 307,995, representing 83.89% of the total rental transactions during May 2026.
In terms of the value of lease transactions, the Riyadh region led with a value of 2.51 billion riyals, accounting for 41.06% of the total value, followed by the Makkah region with a value of 1.46 billion riyals, accounting for 23.85%, and then the Eastern Province with a value of 977.6 million riyals, accounting for 15.99%.
The value of lease transactions in the Madinah region reached approximately 287.4 million riyals, representing 4.70%, and in the Asir region, approximately 190.9 million riyals, representing 3.12%. The value of lease transactions across the five regions totaled approximately 5.43 billion riyals, representing 88.71% of the total value of lease transactions during May 2026.
Regulatory Licenses
Regarding real estate market regulation, the number of property management facility licenses rose to 139, representing a monthly increase of 18% and an annual increase of 28%, while the number of licenses for facilities management companies fell to 21, marking a monthly decline of 13% but an annual increase of 11%.
The number of individual licenses for real estate brokerage and marketing also rose to 5,237, representing a monthly growth of 20% and an annual growth of 23%, and the number of business licenses rose to 1,605, representing a year-over-year increase of 7% and a month-over-month increase of 2%.
In the real estate consulting and analysis sector, the number of individual licenses rose to 9, representing a monthly growth of 29%, despite a year-over-year decline of 72%, while the number of business licenses rose to 5, representing a 25% increase year-over-year. In the real estate auction sector, the number of business licenses rose to 59, marking a 5% monthly increase while remaining stable year-over-year.
Real Estate Brokerage Contracts
Contract data showed real estate brokerage contracts that the number of sales brokerage contracts for individuals rose to 376 contracts, with a monthly growth of 19% and an annual growth of 12%, while the number of sales brokerage contracts for commercial properties rose to 383 contracts, with a monthly growth of 8% and an annual growth of 29%.
In contrast, the number of rental brokerage contracts for individuals fell to 222 contracts, a monthly decline of 10%, despite a year-over-year increase of 17%, Contracts for commercial properties also fell to 252, a monthly decrease of 11% and a yearly decrease of 21%.
In real estate marketing, the number of contracts for commercial properties rose to 11,882, representing a monthly increase of 5% and a yearly increase of 6%, while the number of contracts for individuals fell to 1,698, a monthly decline of 7% and an annual decline of 13%. The number of marketing and sales brokerage contracts for individuals also rose to 7,197, representing a monthly increase of 6% and a yearly increase of 32%, while contracts for commercial properties fell to 10,175, a monthly decrease of 5% but a yearly increase of 5%.
In marketing and leasing brokerage, the number of contracts for individuals fell to 3,443, a monthly decline of 7% and a yearly increase of 17%, while contracts for commercial properties fell to 9,550, a monthly decrease of 9% and a yearly increase of 5%.
As for auction contracts, the number of contracts for businesses fell to 235, a monthly decline of 36% and a yearly decline of 18%, while the number of other contracts for individuals fell to 467, a monthly decline of 5% despite a year-over-year increase of 40%, and commercial property contracts fell to 844, a monthly decrease of 15% but an annual increase of 71%.
In the real estate advertising sector, the number of sale listings in May 2026 fell to 19,973, a monthly decrease of 2% and a year-over-year decrease of 24%, while the number of rental listings fell to 17,230, a monthly decline of 12% and a yearly decline of 17%.
