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Buy vs. Build: Analysing Office Economic Rents in Asia Pacific (CBRE)

Economic Rent and New Office Development: Increasing construction costs, rising land values, and asset repricing are leading investors to scrutinise theoretical rents more closely when planning new office developments. Investors are looking more closely at ‘economic rents’, which measure the rental income needed to justify development costs and are reassessing office developments across the region. 

Regional Variations:  Most markets in Asia Pacific have reported significant growth in economic rents over the past five years, led by Australia. In Asia, Singapore, Seoul and Beijing have seen the greatest growth.

Postponed New Office Developments: CBRE expects Asia Pacific office developments will continue to be postponed as investors find it difficult to justify commencing work on new schemes. This will constrain the supply pipeline in the medium term. As a result, the region’s office markets will adjust to the tighter supply-demand imbalance, which will help rental growth align with the change in construction and land costs.

Office Investment Hotspots: With the office outlook improving and pricing at the top of cycle in most APAC markets, investors are expected to continue to target acquisitions of existing stock. Markets with strong rental prospects such as Australia, Japan, India, and Korea, will attract investment demand in H2 2025.