Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
DFGR vs VNQ: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, DFGR returned +4.9% to VNQ's +4.8%; 70% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $3.9bn on Jul 31, 2026 for Dimensional Global Real Estate ETF, and $35.9bn on Sep 30, 2026 for Vanguard Real Estate ETF.
Pair scorecard
VNQ costs 0.09 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.1 points.
| Measure | DFGR | VNQ |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +4.9% | +4.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.1%, high on Jul 28, 2026 | 8.3%, high on Jul 28, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | No index, actively managed | MSCI US Investable Market Real Estate 25/50 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.22% | 0.13% |
| Net assets, DFGR as of Jul 31, 2026 and VNQ as of Sep 30, 2026 | $3.9bn | $35.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 70% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 40.6% | 55.8% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 16, 2022 to Oct 23, 2026 · 201 weekly returnsVNQ returned slightly more: +29.7% to +27.9%. DFGR swung slightly less: 15.3% to 16.8%. DFGR and VNQ fell about the same at their worst: −19.8% and −20.1%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | DFGR | VNQ | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +27.9% | +29.7% | VNQ (slight) | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +6.6% | +7.0% | VNQ (slight) | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +12.6% | +10.2% | DFGR | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 15.3% | 16.8% | DFGR (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 10.3% | 11.4% | DFGR (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −19.8% | −20.1% | Tie | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.19 | 0.21 | VNQ (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.28 | 0.31 | VNQ (slight) | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.33 | 0.35 | VNQ (slight) | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 201 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, DFGR and VNQ hold 70% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026.
half
70% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
DFGR and VNQ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
DFGR and VNQ are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. DFGR follows No index, actively managed and VNQ follows MSCI US Investable Market Real Estate 25/50 Index.
- Number of holdings. DFGR holds 425 positions and VNQ holds 141.
- Holdings in common (similar). 70% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Jul 31, 2026 and Sep 30, 2026).
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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DFGR
DFGR is actively managed and tracks no index. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.9% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.22% a year. By its holdings filed for Jul 31, 2026, 56% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 425 positions, with the top ten at 40.6%. It sat 8.1% below its high of Jul 28, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
VNQ
VNQ tracks an index of US real estate. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.8% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.13% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer as of Sep 30, 2026, 63% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 141 positions, with the top ten at 55.8%. It sat 8.3% below its high of Jul 28, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, DFGR or VNQ?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, DFGR returned +4.9% and VNQ +4.8%.
- Which is cheaper, DFGR or VNQ?
- VNQ is cheaper, by 0.09 percentage points a year. That is about $9 on $10,000 held for a year. Fees come from each fund's prospectus.
Links are sources, not endorsements. A comparison is not a recommendation.
How this is computed
Overlap adds up the smaller of the two weights for each security both funds hold.
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ETFIQ, DFGR against VNQ, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfgr-vs-vnq
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). DFGR against VNQ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfgr-vs-vnq
[DFGR against VNQ (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/dfgr-vs-vnq)
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