Fortaleza, São Paulo and Brasília: see highlights of real estate demand in 2025

Fortaleza was the most attractive city for real estate projects at the end of the year in economic standard properties, while São Paulo maintained the leadership in medium standard projects and Brasília took 1st place in the high standard. The data comes from the Real Estate Demand Index (IDI Brazil) for the 4th quarter of 2025, a study carried out in 80 cities in a partnership between Sienge and the Brazilian Chamber of the Construction Industry (CBIC).

According to Sienge, a technology and business ecosystem for the construction industry and real estate market, the movement in the last quarter of last year confirms a less concentrated and more competitive year between regions.

Throughout the four rounds of the 2025 IDI Brazil, those responsible for the research said that it was possible to identify a gradual change in the axis of protagonism. The year began with Curitiba leading the economic segment, Goiânia ahead in the medium segment and São Paulo in the high standard.

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In the second quarter, cities like Sorocaba and Belém gained traction, but, in the third period, Fortaleza took the lead. Other capitals in the Northeast, such as Recife, Salvador and São Luís also moved up in the ranking. The end of the year consolidated this regional redesign.

Gabriela Torres, Strategic Intelligence Manager at the Sienge Ecosystem, said in a note that the behavior of the IDI throughout 2025 reinforces that the Brazilian real estate market has entered a phase of greater dynamism and less predictability. “The rankings became more mobile throughout the year, which shows that demand is reacting to economic factors, supply and launch profile in a more sensitive way. This requires constant monitoring of data and decisions based on updated evidence. In a more distributed scenario, those who read the signals quickly and thoroughly come out ahead”, he explains.

North East

Fortaleza started 2025 among the leaders of economic standard – which covers families with income from R$2,000 to R$12,000 and properties between R$115,000 and R$575,000 — and took first place in the third quarter, maintaining the leadership until December. At the same time, it expanded its space in the high standard, ending 2025 in second place. The study shows that the capital of Ceará ranked among the top five in all income profiles at the end of the year.

São Luís, in turn, recorded one of the biggest accumulated evolutions of 2025. In the average standard, it jumped from 47th to 24th position. In the high standard, it rose 11 places. In economic terms, it advanced seven positions. The movement was mainly driven by the increased attractiveness of launches and expansion of supply.

Recife and Salvador also remained among the most competitive markets, although with fluctuations throughout the year. The result is an economic pattern increasingly led by northeastern capitals.

Goiânia

The capital of Goiás was in the Top 5 of economic standards throughout the year. Node standard medium – group with a family income of R$12 thousand to R$24 thousand and which has properties between R$575 thousand and R$811 thousand –, remained among the top three in all quarters. Already at a high standard, it maintained second position in three rounds and ended 2025 in fourth place after the rise of Brasília and Fortaleza.

Few cities have combined this simultaneous performance, explains Renato Correa, president of CBIC. Goiânia, according to him, maintained a balance between direct demand, economic dynamics and absorption of new launches, indicating structural opportunities.

“Goiânia shows that markets outside the traditional axis can grow with stability. The city maintained a consistent performance across all income standards, which indicates a solid economic base and capacity to absorb new projects. This balance creates predictability for investors and expands the possibilities for planned expansion.”

Interior and regional hubs in the Top 10

The year was also marked by the recurring presence of non-capital cities among the main markets. Sorocaba (SP) consolidated itself as the only non-capital in the Top 10 of the economic standard and was also among the highlights of the medium and high standard – families with income above R$24 thousand and properties starting at R$811 thousand — throughout the year. The advance was sustained by an increase in direct demand and strong launch attractiveness.

Porto Belo (SC) also once again attracted attention in the high standard, being the only non-capital to feature among the main markets in previous rounds and maintaining strategic relevance in 2025. Campinas (SP), in turn, rose 16 positions in the high standard and ended the year in the Top 15 in the segment.

Fabio Garcez, Executive Director of CV CRM, highlights that analyzing emerging markets can guide good investment decisions. “Throughout 2025 we saw cities take center stage and this is reflected in the economic dynamics and increase in demand for properties. It happened in Sorocaba, for example, where the viralization of social networks was reflected in the increase in demand for properties.”

High standard

São Paulo (SP) and Goiânia (GO) maintained the 1st and 2nd position in three quarters of 2025, anchored in high demand and sales flow. However, the 4th quarter of 2025 marks a relevant inflection, with the consistent strengthening of Brasília and Fortaleza, which advance to 1st and 2nd position, respectively, reducing the historical concentration on the South-Southeast axis.

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But the main ranking variations throughout 2025 were concentrated outside the Top 5, with cities gaining traction from improvements in different indicators. A highlight is São Luís (MA), which showed the biggest gain in positions among the high-end capitals, advancing from 37th to 26th place, driven mainly by the increase in the attractiveness indicator of new launches.

Campinas (SP) ended the 4th quarter in the Top 15 of the high standard, accumulating gains of 16 positions throughout the year. This performance is associated with the consistent improvement in launch attractiveness and direct demand indicators.

Scenario for 2026

The alternation in leadership and the accumulated growth of IDI throughout the year point to a more competitive scenario, say those responsible for the research. In terms of high standards, Brasília’s leadership in the fourth quarter marked the first change at the top in 2025. In economic terms, Fortaleza consolidated its position. In the middle, São Paulo, Curitiba and Goiânia maintained an even dispute.

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For Gabriela Torres, the behavior of the index throughout 2025 reveals broad market dynamics. “When we look at the four quarters together, we realize that the movement of IDI was not concentrated in a single geographic axis. There was accumulated progress in capitals in the Northeast, consolidation in the Central-West and strengthening of regional hubs”, he says.

José Carlos Martins, president of the CBIC Advisory Board, remembers that the IDI shows a portrait of the market in real time. “It is important to understand that this number indicates how consumers are in demand. It is this demand that will boost sales and the indicator should be used to make better decisions. In this index we have data from real transactions, without self-declared research.”