SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	9 Months Ended
SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES (Policies)	Sep. 30, 2018
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Consolidation	The consolidated financial statements include the accounts of EastGroup Properties, Inc., its wholly owned subsidiaries and its investment in any joint ventures in which the Company has a controlling interest. During the fourth quarter of 2017, EastGroup closed the acquisition of the 20% noncontrolling interest in two of the four University Business Center buildings; the Company now owns 100% of University Business Center 125 and 175. As of December 31, 2017 and September 30, 2018, EastGroup had an 80% controlling interest in University Business Center 120 and 130. The Company records 100% of the assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses of the buildings held in joint ventures with the noncontrolling interests provided for in accordance with the joint venture agreements. The equity method of accounting is used for the Company’s 50% undivided tenant-in-common interest in Industry Distribution Center II. All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated in consolidation.
Use of Estimates	The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses during the reporting period and to disclose material contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. Actual results could differ from those estimates.
Discontinued Operations	The Company considers a real estate property to be held for sale when it meets the criteria established under ASC 360, Property, Plant and Equipment, including when it is probable that the property will be sold within a year. Real estate properties held for sale are reported at the lower of the carrying amount or fair value less estimated costs to sell and are not depreciated while they are held for sale. The Company did not classify any properties as held for sale as of September 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017. In accordance with FASB ASU 2014-08, Presentation of Financial Statements (Topic 205) and Property, Plant, and Equipment (Topic 360), Reporting Discontinued Operations and Disclosures of Disposals of Components of an Entity, the Company would report a disposal of a component of an entity or a group of components of an entity in discontinued operations if the disposal represents a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on an entity's operations and financial results when the component or group of components meets the criteria to be classified as held for sale or when the component or group of components is disposed of by sale or other than by sale. In addition, the Company would provide additional disclosures about both discontinued operations and the disposal of an individually significant component of an entity that does not qualify for discontinued operations presentation in the financial statements. EastGroup performs an analysis of properties sold to determine whether the sales qualify for discontinued operations presentation. The Company does not consider its sales in 2017 and the first nine months of 2018 to be disposals of a component of an entity or a group of components of an entity representing a strategic shift that has (or will have) a major effect on the entity's operations and financial results.
Real Estate Property Acquisitions and Acquired Intangibles [Policy Text Block]	Upon acquisition of real estate properties, EastGroup applies the principles of Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) 805, Business Combinations. The FASB Codification provides a framework for determining whether transactions should be accounted for as acquisitions (or disposals) of assets or businesses. Under the guidance, companies are required to utilize an initial screening test to determine whether substantially all of the fair value of the gross assets acquired (or disposed of) is concentrated in a single identifiable asset or a group of similar identifiable assets; if so, the set is not a business. EastGroup determined that its real estate property acquisitions in 2017 and the first nine months of 2018 are considered to be acquisitions of groups of similar identifiable assets; therefore, the acquisitions are not considered to be acquisitions of a business. As a result, the Company capitalized acquisition costs related to its 2017 and 2018 acquisitions. The FASB Codification also provides guidance on how to properly determine the allocation of the purchase price among the individual components of both the tangible and intangible assets based on their respective fair values. Goodwill for business combinations is recorded when the purchase price exceeds the fair value of the assets and liabilities acquired. Factors considered by management in allocating the cost of the properties acquired include an estimate of carrying costs during the expected lease-up periods considering current market conditions and costs to execute similar leases. The allocation to tangible assets (land, building and improvements) is based upon management’s determination of the value of the property as if it were vacant using discounted cash flow models. The Company determines whether any financing assumed is above or below market based upon comparison to similar financing terms for similar properties. The cost of the properties acquired may be adjusted based on indebtedness assumed from the seller that is determined to be above or below market rates. The purchase price is also allocated among the following categories of intangible assets: the above or below market component of in-place leases, the value of in-place leases, and the value of customer relationships. The value allocable to the above or below market component of an acquired in-place lease is determined based upon the present value (using a discount rate reflecting the risks associated with the acquired leases) of the difference between (i) the contractual amounts to be paid pursuant to the lease over its remaining term, and (ii) management’s estimate of the amounts that would be paid using fair market rates over the remaining term of the lease. The amounts allocated to above and below market leases are included in Other assets and Other liabilities, respectively, on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and are amortized to rental income over the remaining terms of the respective leases. The total amount of intangible assets is further allocated to in-place lease values and customer relationship values based upon management’s assessment of their respective values. These intangible assets are included in Other assets on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and are amortized over the remaining term of the existing lease, or the anticipated life of the customer relationship, as applicable.
Earnings Per Share, Policy [Policy Text Block]	The Company applies ASC 260, Earnings Per Share, which requires companies to present basic and diluted earnings per share (EPS). Basic EPS represents the amount of earnings for the period attributable to each share of common stock outstanding during the reporting period. The Company’s basic EPS is calculated by dividing Net Income Attributable to EastGroup Properties, Inc. Common Stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding. The weighted average number of common shares outstanding does not include any potentially dilutive securities or any unvested restricted shares of common stock. These unvested restricted shares, although classified as issued and outstanding, are considered forfeitable until the restrictions lapse and will not be included in the basic EPS calculation until the shares are vested. Diluted EPS represents the amount of earnings for the period attributable to each share of common stock outstanding during the reporting period and to each share that would have been outstanding assuming the issuance of common shares for all dilutive potential common shares outstanding during the reporting period. The Company calculates diluted EPS by dividing Net Income Attributable to EastGroup Properties, Inc. Common Stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding plus the dilutive effect of unvested restricted stock. The dilutive effect of unvested restricted stock is determined using the treasury stock method.
Share-based Compensation, Option and Incentive Plans Policy [Policy Text Block]	EastGroup applies the provisions of ASC 718, Compensation - Stock Compensation, to account for its stock-based compensation plans. ASC 718 requires that the compensation cost relating to share-based payment transactions be recognized in the financial statements and that the cost be measured on the fair value of the equity or liability instruments issued.
Fair Value Measurement, Policy [Policy Text Block]	ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement, defines fair value as the price that would be received to sell an asset or paid to transfer a liability in an orderly transaction between market participants at the measurement date. ASC 820 also provides guidance for using fair value to measure financial assets and liabilities. The Codification requires disclosure of the level within the fair value hierarchy in which the fair value measurements fall, including measurements using quoted prices in active markets for identical assets or liabilities (Level 1), quoted prices for similar instruments in active markets or quoted prices for identical or similar instruments in markets that are not active (Level 2), and significant valuation assumptions that are not readily observable in the market (Level 3).
Recent Accounting Pronouncements [Policy Text Block]	EastGroup has evaluated all ASUs recently released by the FASB through the date the financial statements were issued and determined that the following ASUs apply to the Company. In May 2014, the FASB issued ASU 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which requires an entity to recognize the amount of revenue to which it expects to be entitled for the transfer of promised goods or services to customers. The FASB issued further guidance in ASU 2016-12, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Topic 606): Narrow-Scope Improvements and Practical Expedients, that provides clarifying guidance in certain narrow areas and adds some practical expedients. The new standard was effective for the Company on January 1, 2018, and the Company used the modified retrospective approach upon adoption. The adoption of ASU 2014-09 did not have a material impact on the Company's financial condition or results of operations. In January 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-01, Financial Instruments - Overall (Subtopic 825-10): Recognition and Measurement of Financial Assets and Financial Liabilities,which requires public business entities to use the exit price notion when measuring the fair value of financial instruments for disclosure purposes, requires separate presentation of financial assets and financial liabilities by measurement category and form of financial asset, and eliminates the requirement for public business entities to disclose the methods and significant assumptions used to estimate the fair value that is required to be disclosed for financial instruments measured at amortized costs on the balance sheet. EastGroup adopted ASU 2016-01 effective January 1, 2018. The adoption of ASU 2016-01 did not have a material impact on the Company's financial condition or results of operations. In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU 2016-02, Leases (Topic 842), which requires lessees to recognize the following for all leases (with the exception of short-term leases) at the commencement date: (1) a lease liability, which is a lessee's obligation to make lease payments arising from a lease, measured on a discounted basis; and (2) a right-of-use asset, which is an asset that represents the lessee's right to use, or control the use of, a specified asset for the lease term. The Company is a lessee on a limited number of leases, including office and ground leases, and while the adoption of ASU 2016-02 will impact the Company's accounting for office and ground leases, the Company anticipates the impact will not be material to its overall financial condition and results of operations. Lessor accounting is largely unchanged under ASU 2016-02. The Company's primary revenue is rental income; as such, the Company is a lessor on a significant number of leases. The Company is continuing to evaluate the potential impacts of the ASU and believes it will continue to account for its leases in substantially the same manner. The most significant change for the Company related to lessor accounting includes the new standard's narrow definition of initial direct costs for leases. The new definition will result in certain costs (primarily legal costs related to lease negotiations) being expensed rather than capitalized upon adoption of the new standard. EastGroup estimates the new definition of initial direct costs will result in an increase of expenses, and therefore a decrease in earnings, of approximately $200,000 on an annual basis. EastGroup plans to elect the practical expedient permitting lessors to make an accounting policy election by class of underlying asset to not separate non-lease components of a contract from the lease component to which they relate when specific criteria are met (the Company believes its leases meet the criteria). Public business entities are required to apply the amendments in ASU 2016-02 for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2018, including interim periods within those fiscal years. EastGroup plans to adopt ASU 2016-02 effective January 1, 2019. The Company is continuing the process of evaluating and quantifying the effect that ASU 2016-02 will have on its consolidated financial statements and related disclosures beginning with the Form 10-Q for the period ending March 31, 2019. In May 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-09, Compensation - Stock Compensation (Topic 718): Scope of Modification Accounting, which clarifies what constitutes a modification of a share-based payment award. The ASU is intended to provide clarity and reduce both diversity in practice and cost and complexity when applying the guidance in Topic 718 to a change to the terms or conditions of a share-based payment award. ASU 2017-09 is effective for public entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2017, and interim periods within those fiscal years. The Company adopted ASU 2017-09 on January 1, 2018; the adoption of ASU 2017-09 did not have a material impact on its financial condition or results of operations, as the Company has not had any modifications to share-based payment awards. However, if the Company does have a modification to an award in the future, it will follow the guidance in ASU 2017-09. In August 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-12, Derivatives and Hedging (Topic 815): Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities. The ASU is intended to better align a company's financial reporting for hedging activities with the economic objectives of those activities. The transition method is a modified retrospective approach that will require the Company to recognize the cumulative effect of initially applying the ASU as an adjustment to Accumulated other comprehensive income with a corresponding adjustment to the opening balance of retained earnings as of the beginning of the fiscal year the entity adopts the ASU. The primary provision in the ASU that will require an adjustment to beginning retained earnings is the change in timing and income statement presentation for ineffectiveness related to cash flow and net investment hedges. As a result of the transition guidance in the ASU, cumulative ineffectiveness that has previously been recognized on cash flow and net investment hedges that are still outstanding and designated as of the date of adoption will be adjusted and removed from beginning retained earnings and placed in Accumulated other comprehensive income. ASU 2017-12 is effective for public business entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2018, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted; however, the Company plans to adopt ASU 2017-12 on January 1, 2019. While the Company continues to assess all potential impacts of ASU 2017-12, it does not expect the adoption to have a material impact on the Company's financial condition or results of operations. In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-13, Fair Value Measurement (Topic 820): Disclosure Framework - Changes to the Disclosure Requirements for Fair Value Measurement. The ASU is intended to improve the effectiveness of fair value measurement disclosures. ASU 2018-13 is effective for all entities for annual periods beginning after December 15, 2019, and interim periods within those fiscal years. Early adoption is permitted; however, the Company plans to adopt ASU 2018-13 on January 1, 2020. EastGroup does not expect the adoption to have a material impact on its financial condition, results of operations or disclosures.