Two questions follow the same investor: Where can buying property earn me residency, and where does that same property actually pay me back?
The overlap is smaller than you would expect. Most established golden visa programs sit in markets yielding 3% to 4% gross. The twelve countries below belong to a different group: Property-based residency or citizenship routes that lead into markets with countrywide gross rental yields above 6%.
The yield figures come from Global Property Guide’s most recent Rental Yield Tracker data, drawing on H1 2026 figures where available and H2 2025 where H1 2026 has not yet been published. All percentages are gross and countrywide, which means individual cities and neighborhoods can run materially above or below the headline figure. That gap matters most where program thresholds push buyers into luxury stock, where yields typically compress. Saudi Arabia’s $1.1 million floor and the Bahamas’ $1 million entry are the two clearest examples.
Each country section also includes the local-currency real yield, calculated as gross yield minus the most recent year-over-year consumer-price inflation print from the relevant national statistics office or central bank. The headline yield tells you what the property earns in nominal terms; the other yield tells you what it earns once local price growth is netted out. The two figures diverge sharply in high-inflation economies.
Ranked high to low by country gross yield.
1. Dominican Republic (8.53% gross, 3.90% net)
The DR tops the list. Santo Domingo runs 9.09% and Punta Cana/Bavaro 7.98% in the most recent data. With headline CPI at 4.63% (BCRD, March 2026), the real countrywide yield works out to roughly 3.90%.
The Dominican Republic Investor Visa requires that investors commit at least $200,000 across a range of asset classes, with real estate explicitly eligible. The initial permit runs for one year, renewable in four-year increments afterward.
The Investor Visa offers an accelerated naturalization track. Investors who hold permanent residency and maintain real estate ownership become eligible to apply for citizenship significantly faster than the two-year permanent residency baseline that applies to ordinary naturalization under Law No. 1683. Latin American and Spanish citizens qualify even faster.
Applicants must sit through a Spanish-language interview with immigration officials before naturalization is granted. The Dominican passport provides visa-free access to roughly 71 destinations, below Caribbean CBI alternatives.
2. Costa Rica (7.80% gross, 9.89% net)
Costa Rica’s countrywide yield is 7.80%. San Jose averages 8.23% and Heredia reaches 8.69%. With Costa Rica running deflation of -2.09% in March 2026 (INEC), the real countrywide yield rises to roughly 9.89%, the highest on this list.
The Costa Rica Investor Visa requires that applicants invest at least $150,000 in real estate, moveable assets, or a business. The qualifying asset list is unusually broad, extending beyond apartments and houses to include empty land, farmland, and even vehicles.
Investors can apply for permanent residency after three years of temporary residency. During that temporary residency phase, the program requires that investors maintain physical presence of at least 180 days per year. Citizenship becomes open to investors after seven continuous years of residency, though applicants must demonstrate spoken and written Spanish mastery and pass a test on Costa Rican history and values.
Investors looking for a low-touch program will find better matches elsewhere on this list. Property taxes at 0.25% are among the lowest in the hemisphere, which partially offsets the presence burden.
3. Cambodia (7.54% gross, 6.24% net)
Cambodia’s countrywide yield is 7.54%, with Phnom Penh at 6.50%, Kep and Kampot at 7.04%, and Koh Rong at 6.55%. With consumer-price inflation at 1.3% (Cambodia National Institute of Statistics, latest available reading), the real countrywide yield works out to roughly 6.24%.
Two routes apply. The My 2nd Home (M2H) program offers a ten-year renewable visa to applicants who invest $100,000 in real estate or a Cambodian business, with naturalization eligibility after five years of maintained investment. The Cambodia Citizenship by Investment program requires that applicants donate $245,000 to the Royal Government or invest $305,000 in an approved project for immediate naturalization. A December 2025 sub-decree may have raised the CBI thresholds substantially, though IMI’s program page has not yet been updated to reflect any change; applicants should verify current figures with program authorities before committing capital.
M2H is the property-forward route. CBI can be achieved through a donation alone, though approved project investments that include real estate also qualify.
The Cambodian passport carries visa-free access to roughly 56 destinations, none of which are in Europe or North America. The program is principally useful for investors with a direct business interest in the country, since foreigners cannot own land outright without Cambodian citizenship.
4. Georgia (7.42% gross, 3.12% net)
Georgia’s countrywide yield is 7.42%. Tbilisi averages 7.53% and Batumi 7.31%. With headline CPI at 4.3% (Geostat, March 2026), the real countrywide yield works out to roughly 3.12%.
The Georgia Investor Visa offers two property-based tiers. A $150,000 real estate purchase (raised from $100,000 effective March 1, 2026) leads to a one-year renewable short-term residence permit. A $300,000 purchase leads to a five-year permit convertible to indefinite stay in year five.
Unconditional permanent residency becomes open to investors after six years of continuous residency, provided they are physically present in Georgia for at least three-quarters of each year (roughly 274 days, leaving a maximum of about 91 days of absence per year). Investors can apply for citizenship after 10 years, though Georgian naturalization is restrictive in practice.
The short-term property route renews annually and requires that the investment remain above threshold throughout. Selling the property or letting its appraised value fall below $150,000 triggers revocation. Agricultural land is excluded from the qualifying asset list.
5. Turkey (7.32% gross, -23.55% net)
Turkey’s countrywide yield is 7.32%, with Istanbul averaging 8.17% and Ankara 8.10% in H1 2026. With headline CPI at 30.87% (TurkStat, March 2026), the real countrywide yield is roughly -23.55%, the most deeply negative on this list. In other words, rents are rising fast in nominal lira terms but consumer prices are rising much faster.
Turkey’s Citizenship by Investment program requires that applicants purchase real estate worth at least $400,000 and hold it for three years. Tens of thousands of investors have naturalized since the program’s 2017 launch and its 2018 threshold reduction to $250,000, making it the highest-volume CBI program in the world, though precise figures are not regularly published.
Real returns are more complicated than the headline yield suggests. IMI’s 2025 real estate returns analysis found that while nominal Turkish property prices rose 47% year-over-year in lira terms, 39% inflation and roughly 20% lira depreciation against the dollar produced real dollar-denominated value declines of 0.5% to 8.8% depending on location. A high gross yield in a depreciating currency is not the same as a high return in hard currency.
Turkey also recently moved to revoke citizenship from 451 investors caught in a real estate fraud scheme, tightening valuation oversight across the program.
6. Colombia (7.01% gross, 1.45% net)
Colombia’s countrywide yield is 7.01%. Bogota runs 7.71% and Medellin 7.25%. With headline CPI at 5.56% (DANE, March 2026), the real countrywide yield is roughly 1.45%.
The Colombia Investor Visa requires that applicants purchase real estate valued at at least 350 Colombian monthly minimum wages (salarios mínimos mensuales legales vigentes, or SMMLV). At the 2026 SMMLV of COP 1,750,905, that floor works out to COP 612,816,750, which converts to roughly $153,000 to $165,000 depending on the COP/USD exchange rate on the day of purchase. The visa runs for three years and is renewable as long as the investment is maintained.
Investors can convert to permanent residency after five years on the investor visa. Naturalization follows two additional years on PR for most nationalities, one year for Latin American and Caribbean citizens, and five years total for Spanish nationals.
The threshold sits in the lower tier of this list and the citizenship timeline is among the fastest. The Colombian passport grants visa-free access to roughly 135 destinations, including Schengen.
7. Panama (6.94% gross, 7.14% net)
Panama’s countrywide yield is 6.94%. Panama City averages 7.57% and Panama Oeste 6.80%. Panama closed 2025 with mild deflation at -0.2% (INEC), which lifts the real countrywide yield to roughly 7.14%. As a fully dollarized economy, Panama’s local-currency real yield is also its USD real yield.
The Panama Qualified Investor Permanent Residency grants immediate permanent residency to applicants who invest $300,000 in Panamanian real estate. The government scrapped a planned increase to $500,000 in October 2024 and has maintained the $300,000 floor since.
Investors receive PR on approval with a minimal physical presence requirement: One visit every two years to maintain the status. They can apply for citizenship after five years of PR for most nationalities, one year for Colombians and Salvadorans, and two years for several other Latin American nationalities.
Panama operates a territorial tax system, meaning residents pay no tax on foreign-sourced income regardless of time spent in the country. Government guidance in 2025 has actively steered applicants toward new construction over resale properties.
8. Saudi Arabia (6.84% gross, 5.14% net)
Saudi Arabia’s countrywide yield is 6.84%, but the figure masks a wide regional spread. Jeddah runs 7.91% while Riyadh sits at 5.77%. With headline CPI at 1.7% (GASTAT, February 2026), the real countrywide yield is roughly 5.14%. The riyal’s USD peg means the local-currency real yield closely tracks the USD real yield.
The Premium Residency Investor Visa requires that applicants purchase residential real estate valued at SAR 4 million ($1.1 million) without mortgage or financing. Government-accredited appraisers must certify the value and confirm full payment before approval.
Applicants receive immediate permanent residency, typically within one month of application. No physical presence requirement applies. Naturalization is highly discretionary and requires 10 years of lawful residence plus Arabic fluency, with dual citizenship generally disallowed.
The $1.1 million floor pushes most qualifying purchases into luxury stock, where yields typically compress below the countrywide average. Saudi Arabia also opened its general property market to foreigners on January 22, 2026, which shifts the program’s value proposition for buyers who would previously have needed Premium Residency to access real estate at all.
9. Egypt (6.72% gross, -8.48% net)
Egypt’s countrywide yield is 6.72%, with Cairo and New Cairo running materially above the countrywide average. With headline CPI at 15.20% (CAPMAS, March 2026), the real countrywide yield is roughly -8.48%. Egypt is the second program on this list, after Turkey, where consumer-price inflation outruns the rental yield.
Two programs accept real estate. The Egypt Citizenship by Investment program requires that applicants purchase real estate worth at least $300,000 and hold it for five years, delivering immediate citizenship on approval. The separate Egypt Residence by Investment program offers renewable residence permits starting from far lower thresholds, with property purchases qualifying from roughly $50,000 upward depending on the permit validity sought.
The RBI program does not lead to permanent residency or citizenship, because Egypt does not operate a general permanent residence status. The CBI program is the route for buyers seeking durable legal presence.
Egypt’s CBI regulations require that the full $300,000 transfer clear through an Egyptian bank account and convert to Egyptian pounds before payment to the seller. Under personal status law, a Muslim man may list up to four wives in the application, though spouses receive citizenship two years after the main applicant.
10. Thailand (6.49% gross, 6.57% net)
Thailand’s countrywide yield is 6.49%. Bangkok averages 6.22%, Samut Prakan reaches 8.52%, and Nonthaburi runs 7.14%. Thailand has been in mild headline deflation, with CPI at -0.08% in March 2026 (Ministry of Commerce), lifting the real countrywide yield to roughly 6.57%.
Thailand belongs on this list with a caveat. The Long-Term Resident (LTR) visa Wealthy Global Citizen category requires that applicants hold personal assets of at least $1 million and that they invest at least $500,000 in Thai government bonds, local companies, or property. Thailand scrapped the previous $80,000 annual income floor for this category in February 2025. Real estate is one eligible asset class rather than the exclusive qualifying investment.
The LTR grants ten-year renewable residency with no statutory path to permanent residency or citizenship. Thailand’s broader naturalization framework remains restrictive and is primarily accessible through marriage rather than investment. IMI’s 2026 guide to Southeast Asian investor visas covers the full regional comparison.
Foreigners cannot own land outright in Thailand. Property purchases are limited to condominiums (subject to a 49% foreign-ownership cap per building) or long-term leasehold arrangements. The LTR does grant tax advantages on offshore income repatriated the year after earning, a benefit other Thai taxpayers cannot access.
11. Bahamas (6.19% gross, 4.99% net)
The Bahamas’ countrywide yield is 6.19%. With headline CPI running at 1.2% (Bahamas National Statistical Institute, latest reading), the real countrywide yield is roughly 4.99%. The Bahamian dollar’s 1:1 USD peg means the local-currency real yield closely tracks the USD real yield.
The Bahamas Economic Permanent Residence (EPR) program grants permanent residency to applicants who purchase a residence in the country. The minimum purchase threshold rose to $1 million effective January 1, 2025 (up from $750,000), with $1.5 million qualifying for speedy consideration.
Applicants receive immediate permanent residency on approval. Investors can apply for naturalization after 10 years of residency, though the process is discretionary and slow in practice.
As with Saudi Arabia, the entry threshold pushes buyers into higher-end stock where yields compress below the countrywide average. The Bahamas’ principal appeal is not the yield but the territorial tax structure (no income tax, capital gains tax, or inheritance tax) combined with an English-speaking common-law legal framework.
12. Russia (6.15% gross, 0.25% net)
Russia’s countrywide yield is 6.15%, with Moscow sitting below average at 4.86% and Saint Petersburg running 6.82%. With headline CPI at 5.9% (Rosstat, March 2026), the real countrywide yield is roughly 0.25%, effectively flat.
The Russia Investor Visa offers three property-based tiers. RUB 20 million (about $230,000) qualifies for investment in one of eleven Far Eastern regions. RUB 25 million (about $280,000) covers most other regions including Saint Petersburg and Sochi. RUB 50 million (about $570,000) applies to Moscow. Properties must be purchased outright (no mortgages) and held for one year before applying.
Applicants receive immediate permanent residency on approval, which remains valid even if the investment is later divested. Russia recently scrapped the 180-day physical presence rule for golden visa holders. Investors can apply for citizenship after five years of continuous residence plus a Russian-language proficiency test.
The program has significantly underperformed its targets, attracting fewer than 50 investors since its January 2023 launch against an initial goal of 300 to 400 annually. Geopolitical factors limit the applicant pool outside CIS and East Asian markets. Russia and Saudi Arabia are the only programs on this list that require a local-language test as part of the citizenship track.
