Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
IYR vs XLRE: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, IYR returned +3.4% to XLRE's +4.3%; 80% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets: $3.9bn on Oct 28, 2026 for iShares U.S. Real Estate ETF, and $8.0bn on Oct 27, 2026 for State Street Real Estate Select Sector SPDR ETF.
Pair scorecard
XLRE costs 0.29 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 0.9 points; XLRE is 2.0 times larger.
| Measure | IYR | XLRE |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +3.4% | +4.3% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.6%, high on Jul 28, 2026 | 7.7%, high on Jul 28, 2026 |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Capped Index | Real Estate Select Sector Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.37% | 0.08% |
| Net assets, as of Oct 26, 2026 | $4.0bn | $8.0bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 80% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 52.5% | 58.9% |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Oct 27, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Oct 16, 2015 to Oct 23, 2026 · 575 weekly returnsXLRE returned more: +102.9% to +83.1%. XLRE swung slightly less: 20.8% to 21.2%. XLRE fell less at its worst: −35.2% to −39.3%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | IYR | XLRE | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +83.1% | +102.9% | XLRE | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +5.6% | +6.6% | XLRE | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +31.1% | +38.9% | XLRE | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 21.2% | 20.8% | XLRE (slight) | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 14.8% | 14.3% | XLRE (slight) | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −39.3% | −35.2% | XLRE | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.26 | 0.30 | XLRE | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.37 | 0.44 | XLRE | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.14 | 0.19 | XLRE | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 575 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, IYR and XLRE hold 80% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Oct 27, 2026.
half
80% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
IYR and XLRE on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
IYR and XLRE are built for the same job. How do they differ in cost, holdings and results?
- What each follows. IYR follows Dow Jones U.S. Real Estate Capped Index and XLRE follows Real Estate Select Sector Index.
- Cost. IYR charges 0.37% of assets a year and XLRE 0.08%, a gap of 0.29 points.
- Holdings in common (similar). 80% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Oct 27, 2026).
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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IYR
IYR tracks an index of U.S. Real Estate. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +3.4% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.37% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 80% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 59 positions, with the top ten at 52.5%. It sat 8.6% below its high of Jul 28, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
XLRE
XLRE tracks an index of Real estate. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +4.3% with distributions reinvested. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.08% a year. By its holdings published by its issuer for Oct 27, 2026, 100% of the fund by weight is stocks the S&P 500 also holds, across 31 positions, with the top ten at 58.9%. It sat 7.7% below its high of Jul 28, 2026 on Oct 28, 2026.
Questions people ask
- Which returned more over the last year, IYR or XLRE?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, IYR returned +3.4% and XLRE +4.3%.
- Which is cheaper, IYR or XLRE?
- XLRE is cheaper, by 0.29 percentage points a year. That is about $29 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, IYR against XLRE, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iyr-vs-xlre
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). IYR against XLRE. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iyr-vs-xlre
[IYR against XLRE (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/iyr-vs-xlre)
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