The 10 Highest Rental Yields Foreign Buyers Can Own in 2026: Johannesburg Leads at 13.47%, Jeddah Opens Up

Three rules decided the cut. A foreign individual has to be able to hold the title, which removed Jakarta at 12.00% and every Kazakh city above 11%. The country could not be at war, which removed Dnipro at 9.76%. And the city had to have its own resale market, which removed Centurion at 14.64% and Chisinau at 9.49%. Where one country had several qualifying cities, only the highest stayed. Marrakesh at 8.54% lost to Tangier. Chicago at 8.59% lost to Philadelphia.

Johannesburg averages 13.47% across all locations. A one-bedroom has a median asking price of USD 37,100 and rents at USD 430 a month. In Sandton, the financial district, a two-bedroom costs USD 76,100 and still yields 15.30%. The South African average rose from 10.93% at the end of 2025 to 11.53% in Q2 2026, though GPG notes it changed data source in the latest round. The yield is high because prices are low, and prices are low because buyers price in rand weakness and security costs. Net yields in the cheapest stock fall further than the usual two points once levies, municipal rates and vacancy are counted.

Studios lead Cairo at 13.17% on a median USD 57,400. The city average is 10.86%. In New Cairo, where much of the new compound stock sits, a two-bedroom is USD 155,600 and yields 8.71%. GPG's Egypt buying guide says foreigners can own up to two residential properties, each under 4,000 square metres. The figures are converted to dollars at today's rate. The pound has been devalued several times since 2022, and a buyer earning 10.86% in pounds can lose money in dollars.

Istanbul averages 9.92%, up 1.77 points in a year and 3.71 points over three. A two-bedroom has a median price of USD 99,500 and lets for USD 790. Turkish rents reset quickly with inflation. Prices quoted in dollars have lagged, and that gap explains most of the rise. Turkey's buying guide, updated January 2026, keeps military zones off limits and requires governor approval in some areas. A property purchase of at least USD 400,000 still qualifies for citizenship.

Santo Domingo averages 9.35%, with a one-bedroom around USD 168,000 renting for USD 1,250. Foreigners in the Dominican Republic hold exactly the same rights as citizens. Punta Cana and Bávaro, the holiday-let coast, sit at 9.07%. The risk is depth. There are fewer buyers to sell to, and a local lawyer has to do the title diligence properly.

Jeddah is the new entry. It averages 9.10% against 5.80% in Riyadh, and a two-bedroom at a median USD 95,200 yields 11.66%. Until January 2026, a foreign individual without Saudi residency could not have bought it. The non-Saudi ownership law took effect that month and the Council of Ministers approved its implementing regulations on 23 June. Ownership is limited to zones the Real Estate General Authority designates, and a 2% REGA fee applies to sales in Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah and Madinah. Individual buyers need a Ministry of Interior electronic ID, a Saudi bank account and a Saudi phone number. The zone map is new. Check which Jeddah districts fall inside it before you look at any listing.

A three-bedroom in Philadelphia at USD 249,900 renting for USD 2,100 yields 10.08%, against a city average of 8.87%. For comparison, GPG puts New York at 5.03% and Los Angeles at 4.59%. Foreigners face no federal restriction on buying. The gross figure flatters it more than most, because US property tax and insurance come out of the rent, and the IRS withholds 15% of the gross sale price from foreign sellers under FIRPTA.

At 8.64%, Liverpool sits ahead of Birmingham at 8.41% and Glasgow at 8.31%. London manages 6.62%. Non-residents can own in the UK without restriction, though a non-resident buying an additional home in England pays Stamp Duty Land Tax at 7 points over standard rates. Landlords now let under the Renters' Rights Act, which ended fixed-term tenancies and no-fault evictions in England, and that adds compliance work for an owner managing from abroad.

Catania, in Sicily, averages 8.75%. A studio at €55,000 rents for €500 a month, 10.91% gross. Palermo is at 7.84%, Rome 6.59%, Milan 4.97%. EU citizens buy freely. Non-EU buyers fall under Italy's reciprocity principle, which means the answer depends on whether your country lets Italians buy.

Tangier averages 8.57%, a fraction ahead of Marrakesh at 8.54% and Casablanca at 8.32%. Morocco places no restriction on the type of residential property a foreigner can own. Agricultural land is the exception. Barranquilla, on Colombia's Caribbean coast, averages 8.41%, well above Medellín at 7.06% and Bogotá at 7.67%. Colombia gives foreigners the same ownership rights as citizens.

None of the markets INTRIC buyers ask about most often makes the top ten. That does not make them poor investments. A Dubai apartment yielding 6% in a currency pegged to the dollar can beat a Cairo flat yielding 11% in pounds once the exchange rate has moved. A Lisbon flat at 3.76% is priced for capital growth and residency, not income.

Global Property Guide calculates each yield as twelve months of median asking rent divided by the median asking price, from one listings portal per country, for apartments from studio to four bedrooms. Asking prices are not sale prices. In markets where buyers negotiate hard, true yields run higher than listed, and where landlords list rents high and accept less, they run lower.

GPG's global table sometimes shows a country average under the capital's name. Its "Cape Town" entry of 11.53% is the South African average. Cape Town itself is 9.49%. Every figure here comes from the country pages, where the city figures are labelled correctly.