Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
VCSH vs VNQ: Differences, Returns & Fees
Over the year to Oct 28, 2026, VCSH returned +1.3% to VNQ's +4.8%; 0% of their weight is in the same names.
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Net assets on Sep 30, 2026: $43.9bn for Vanguard Short-Term Corporate Bond ETF and $35.9bn for Vanguard Real Estate ETF.
Pair scorecard
VCSH costs 0.10 points a year less; their one-year returns differ by 3.5 points; VCSH is 1.2 times larger.
| Measure | VCSH | VNQ |
|---|---|---|
| Return | ||
| Total return, 1 year | +1.3% | +4.8% |
| Drawdown | ||
| Below its high | 8.3%, high on Jul 28, 2026 | |
| Benchmark | ||
| What it tracks | Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Corporate Bond Index | MSCI US Investable Market Real Estate 25/50 Index |
| Cost and size | ||
| Expense ratio | 0.03% | 0.13% |
| Net assets, as of Sep 30, 2026 | $43.9bn | $35.9bn |
| Holdings | ||
| Holdings in common | 0% | |
| In the S&P 500, by weight | 63% | |
| Top ten holdings, share of the fund | 55.8% | |
Holdings in common uses holdings dated Sep 30, 2026. Method
Risk and return
Dec 4, 2009 to Oct 23, 2026 · 881 weekly returnsVNQ returned more: +307.2% to +59.9%. VCSH swung less: 3.5% to 20.5%. VCSH fell less at its worst: −11.3% to −39.6%.
Full scorecard
9 measures, with how each is measured Open ↓
| Measure | VCSH | VNQ | Edge | How it is measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Return | ||||
| Total return | +59.9% | +307.2% | VNQ | Price change plus distributions, reinvested. |
| Annualized | +2.8% | +8.6% | VNQ | Total return as a yearly rate. |
| Price return | +2.8% | +109.2% | VNQ | Price change alone, distributions left out. |
| Risk | ||||
| Volatility | 3.5% | 20.5% | VCSH | Spread of weekly returns, annualized. Lower is steadier. |
| Downside deviation | 2.5% | 14.3% | VCSH | Like volatility, counting only weeks below the Treasury bill rate. |
| Max drawdown | −11.3% | −39.6% | VCSH | Deepest fall from a high to the low after it. |
| Risk-adjusted | ||||
| Sharpe | 0.37 | 0.43 | VNQ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of volatility. |
| Sortino | 0.52 | 0.62 | VNQ | Return above Treasury bills per unit of downside deviation. |
| Calmar | 0.25 | 0.22 | VCSH | Annualized return divided by the max drawdown. |
Computed by ETFIQ from Tiingo daily prices and ETFIQ's distribution records, 881 weekly returns. Cash rate: the 13-week Treasury bill.
What they share
By the books each fund has filed, VCSH and VNQ hold 0% of their money in the same securities at the same weight. Holdings dated Sep 30, 2026.
half
0% in common
Only in one fund ↓
Side by side
VCSH and VNQ on the fields both publish, as of Oct 28, 2026. Source: ETFIQ.
VCSH and VNQ do different jobs. What does each one do in a portfolio?
- What each follows. VCSH follows Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Corporate Bond Index and VNQ follows MSCI US Investable Market Real Estate 25/50 Index.
- Holdings in common. 0% of the weight is in the same securities (holdings dated Sep 30, 2026).
- One-year total return. Over 1 year to Oct 28, 2026 VCSH returned +1.3% and VNQ +4.8% with distributions reinvested, a gap of 3.5 points.
Data as of Oct 28, 2026.
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VCSH
VCSH tracks an index of Short-Term Corporate Bond. Over the year to Oct 28, 2026 it returned +1.3% with distributions reinvested, against +1.3% for its benchmark, the Bloomberg U.S. 1-5 Year Corporate Bond Index. The prospectus expense ratio is 0.03% a year.
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, VCSH or VNQ?
- In the year to Oct 28, 2026, with distributions reinvested, VCSH returned +1.3% and VNQ +4.8%.
- Which is cheaper, VCSH or VNQ?
- VCSH is cheaper, by 0.10 percentage points a year. That is about $10 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, VCSH against VNQ, data as of Oct 28, 2026. https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vcsh-vs-vnq
ETFIQ. (Oct 28, 2026). VCSH against VNQ. Retrieved from https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vcsh-vs-vnq
[VCSH against VNQ (ETFIQ, Oct 28, 2026)](https://etfiq.com/compare/any/vcsh-vs-vnq)
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