ETF Versus

BND vs VNQ

Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund vs Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund ETF Shares

Last updated: 2026-04-02

BND Vanguard

Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Fund (BND) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to the broad U.S. investment-grade bond market. It charges a very low expense ratio of 0.03%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.93%. Launched in 2007, the fund has a 19-year track record.

AUM: $150.4B ER: 0.03% Yield: 3.93% Since: Apr 3, 2007
VNQ Vanguard

Vanguard Real Estate Index Fund ETF Shares (VNQ) is an exchange-traded fund issued by Vanguard that provides exposure to U.S. real estate investment trusts (REITs) and real estate companies. It charges a low expense ratio of 0.13%. The fund offers an attractive dividend yield of 3.92%. Launched in 2004, the fund has a 22-year track record.

AUM: $33.6B ER: 0.13% Yield: 3.92% Since: Sep 23, 2004

Quick Verdict

BND is significantly cheaper at 0.03% vs 0.13% expense ratio, saving you approximately $199 per $10,000 invested over 10 years. BND has edged ahead over the past year (-0.0% vs -1.7%).

Key Metrics

Metric BND VNQ
Expense Ratio 0.03% 0.13%
Dividend Yield 3.9% 3.9%
Fund Family Vanguard Vanguard
Category US Aggregate Bond US Real Estate

Performance Chart

Indexed to 100 at start (5-year comparison)

75 85 95 105 115 125 2021-04 2022-06 2023-09 2024-12 2026-04
BND -13.3%
VNQ -5.2%

Performance Comparison

Period BND VNQ Difference
1 Month -1.63% -7.20% +5.57%
3 Months -0.84% +0.56% -1.40%
6 Months -1.20% -2.63% +1.43%
YTD -0.84% +0.56% -1.40%
1 Year -0.03% -1.72% +1.69%
3 Years -0.73% +8.06% -8.79%
5 Years -13.29% -5.19% -8.10%

Fee Impact Over Time

Estimated fee cost difference assuming 8% annual returns

Investment Period BND Fees VNQ Fees You Save
$10.000 10 years $60 $258 $199
$10.000 20 years $258 $1.109 $851
$10.000 30 years $835 $3.571 $2.736
$50.000 10 years $299 $1.292 $993
$50.000 30 years $4.176 $17.855 $13.679
$100.000 30 years $8.352 $35.710 $27.358

Risk Metrics

Based on 5 years of daily returns

Metric BND VNQ
Annualized Volatility 6.0% 18.9%
Max Drawdown -21.7% -38.8%
Sharpe Ratio -1.19 -0.20

Dividend Comparison

Metric BND VNQ
Annual Dividend (per share) $2.88 $3.49
Dividend Yield 3.92% 3.92%
Distribution Frequency Monthly Quarterly

Top Holdings

VNQ Top Holdings

NameWeight
Vanguard Real Estate II Index Fund!mutf/VRTPX14.38%
Welltower Inc.WELL7.52%
Prologis, Inc.PLD7.08%
Equinix, Inc.EQIX5.11%
American Tower CorporationAMT4.80%
Simon Property Group, Inc.SPG3.56%
Realty Income CorporationO3.27%
Digital Realty Trust, Inc.DLR3.25%
Public StoragePSA2.59%
CBRE Group, Inc.CBRE2.35%

Which One Should You Choose?

Choose BND if...

you want the lowest fees and plan to buy and hold long-term. Over decades, the expense ratio difference compounds significantly.

Related Comparisons