Abstract: Abstract：Based on the basic research units of 336 prefecture-level-and-above cities in China from 2009 to 2017，this article uses the spatial regression trend surface and the exploratory spatial data analysis(ESDA) to simulate and estimate the spatial distribution of urban housing price-to-rent ratio of China, and uses the geographical probe model to explore the influence mechanism of the price-to-rent ratio’s spatial-temporal variance from four main aspects: The city’s economic factors, population factors, social factors and expectational factors. The results showed that: the housing price-to-rent ratio in China is in a fluctuating upward trend. The spatial distribution shows the staircase pattern of “high in the east and low in the west” and “hot in the east and cold in the west”. Meanwhile, there exists an obvious spatial positive correlation and a strong regional agglomeration in housing price, rent and price-to-rent ratio. Income level and wage level are the most important factors affecting the price-to-rent ratio. Residential expectations, population attractiveness, proportion of tenants, family size, and economic expectations are also important factors affecting the price-to-rent ratio. The explanatory power of economic factors, population factors, expected factors and social factors is weakened in turn. The four factors are interrelated and interact to form the temporal and spatial distribution pattern of price-to-rent ratio in China.