Assets and Liabilities Measured at Fair Value on a Recurring Basis - Schedule of fair value assets and liabilities measured on recurring basis (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2022	Dec. 31, 2021
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Real estate properties	$ 21,490.2	$ 18,903.9
Real estate operating business	642.1	326.3
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	2,649.1	2,207.8
Total investments (cost: $25,602.0 and $24,326.7)	34,582.5	30,918.0
Loans payable	(2,125.0)	(2,380.5)
Line of credit	0.0	(500.0)
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Real estate properties	21,490.2	18,903.9
Real estate joint ventures	7,359.3	7,175.9
Real estate funds	893.3	811.5
Real estate operating business	642.1	326.3
Marketable securities:
Loans receivable	1,548.5	1,492.6
Total investments (cost: $25,602.0 and $24,326.7)	34,582.5	30,918.0
Loans payable	(2,125.0)	(2,380.5)
Line of credit		(500.0)
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Other unsecured debt
Marketable securities:
Other unsecured debt	(950.5)
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| U.S. government agency notes
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	1,490.3	864.1
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Foreign government agency notes
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	16.8	7.6
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| U.S. treasury securities
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	590.3	784.3
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Corporate bonds
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	551.7	551.8
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 1: Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Real estate properties	0.0	0.0
Real estate joint ventures	0.0	0.0
Real estate funds	0.0	0.0
Real estate operating business	0.0	0.0
Marketable securities:
Loans receivable	0.0	0.0
Total investments (cost: $25,602.0 and $24,326.7)	0.0	0.0
Loans payable	0.0	0.0
Line of credit		0.0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 1: Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets \| Other unsecured debt
Marketable securities:
Other unsecured debt	0.0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 1: Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets \| U.S. government agency notes
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	0.0	0.0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 1: Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets \| Foreign government agency notes
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	0.0	0.0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 1: Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets \| U.S. treasury securities
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	0.0	0.0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 1: Quoted Prices in Active Markets for Identical Assets \| Corporate bonds
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	0.0	0.0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 2: Significant Other Observable Inputs
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Real estate properties	0.0	0.0
Real estate joint ventures	0.0	0.0
Real estate funds	0.0	0.0
Real estate operating business	0.0	0.0
Marketable securities:
Loans receivable	0.0	0.0
Total investments (cost: $25,602.0 and $24,326.7)	2,649.1	2,207.8
Loans payable	0.0	0.0
Line of credit		0.0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 2: Significant Other Observable Inputs \| Other unsecured debt
Marketable securities:
Other unsecured debt	(450.5)
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 2: Significant Other Observable Inputs \| U.S. government agency notes
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	1,490.3	864.1
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 2: Significant Other Observable Inputs \| Foreign government agency notes
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	16.8	7.6
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 2: Significant Other Observable Inputs \| U.S. treasury securities
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	590.3	784.3
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 2: Significant Other Observable Inputs \| Corporate bonds
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	551.7	551.8
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 3: Significant Unobservable Inputs
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Real estate properties	21,490.2	18,903.9
Real estate joint ventures	7,359.3	7,175.9
Real estate funds	0.0	0.0
Real estate operating business	642.1	326.3
Marketable securities:
Loans receivable	1,548.5	1,492.6
Total investments (cost: $25,602.0 and $24,326.7)	31,040.1	27,898.7
Loans payable	(2,125.0)	(2,380.5)
Line of credit		(500.0)
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 3: Significant Unobservable Inputs \| Other unsecured debt
Marketable securities:
Other unsecured debt	(500.0)
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 3: Significant Unobservable Inputs \| U.S. government agency notes
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	0.0	0.0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 3: Significant Unobservable Inputs \| Foreign government agency notes
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	0.0	0.0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 3: Significant Unobservable Inputs \| U.S. treasury securities
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	0.0	0.0
Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring \| Level 3: Significant Unobservable Inputs \| Corporate bonds
Marketable securities:
Marketable securities excluding Real estate-related	$ 0.0	$ 0.0

Fair Value Of Real Estate Operating Business

No definition available.

Name:	tiaareal_FairValueOfRealEstateOperatingBusiness
Namespace Prefix:	tiaareal_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Fair value of real estate property held for investment purposes.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	tiaareal_FairValueOfRealEstateProperties
Namespace Prefix:	tiaareal_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Fair value of loans receivable

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	tiaareal_LoansReceivableAndLoansReceivableRelatedParties
Namespace Prefix:	tiaareal_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	tiaareal_MarketableSecuritiesAbstract0
Namespace Prefix:	tiaareal_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Total debt and equity financial instruments including: (1) securities held-to-maturity, (2) trading securities, and (3) securities available-for-sale, excluding real estate.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	tiaareal_MarketableSecuritiesExcludingRealEstate
Namespace Prefix:	tiaareal_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Mortgage Loans Payable And Loans Payable, Fair Value

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	tiaareal_MortgageLoansPayableAndLoansPayableFairValue
Namespace Prefix:	tiaareal_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Fair value of investments in real estate joint ventures .

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	tiaareal_RealEstateInvestmentsFairValueJointVentures
Namespace Prefix:	tiaareal_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Fair value of investment other than investment in equity security, investment in debt security and equity method investment. Includes, but is not limited to, investment in certain entities that calculate net asset value per share. Example includes, but is not limited to, investment in hedge fund, venture capital fund, private equity fund, and real estate partnership or fund.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 820
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 6A
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126976982&loc=SL6742756-110258

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 820
-SubTopic 10
-Section 35
-Paragraph 54B
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126972413&loc=SL7495116-110257

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_AlternativeInvestment
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Fair value portion of debt instrument payable, including, but not limited to, notes payable and loans payable.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 470
-SubTopic 20
-Section 55
-Paragraph 69C
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123466577&loc=SL123495737-112612

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/exampleRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 470
-SubTopic 20
-Section 55
-Paragraph 69B
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123466577&loc=SL123495735-112612

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 825
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 10
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123594938&loc=d3e13433-108611

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 470
-SubTopic 20
-Section 50
-Paragraph 1D
-Subparagraph (c)
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123466505&loc=SL123495340-112611

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_DebtInstrumentFairValue
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Line items represent financial concepts included in a table. These concepts are used to disclose reportable information associated with domain members defined in one or many axes to the table.

+ References

No definition available.

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueAssetsAndLiabilitiesMeasuredOnRecurringAndNonrecurringBasisLineItems
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:stringItemType
Balance Type:	na
Period Type:	duration

- Definition

Fair value portion of investment securities, including, but not limited to, marketable securities, derivative financial instruments, and investments accounted for under the equity method.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 820
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 2
-Subparagraph (a)
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=126976982&loc=d3e19207-110258

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_InvestmentsFairValueDisclosure
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	debit
Period Type:	instant

- Definition

Fair value of the amount outstanding under the credit facility.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 825
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 10
-URI https://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=123594938&loc=d3e13433-108611

+ Details

Name:	us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityFairValueOfAmountOutstanding
Namespace Prefix:	us-gaap_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	instant

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByMeasurementFrequencyAxis=us-gaap_FairValueMeasurementsRecurringMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_LongtermDebtTypeAxis=us-gaap_UnsecuredDebtMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_USGovernmentAgenciesDebtSecuritiesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_ForeignGovernmentDebtSecuritiesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_USTreasurySecuritiesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FinancialInstrumentAxis=us-gaap_CorporateDebtSecuritiesMember
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis=us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel1Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis=us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel2Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type:

- Details

Name:	us-gaap_FairValueByFairValueHierarchyLevelAxis=us-gaap_FairValueInputsLevel3Member
Namespace Prefix:
Data Type:	na
Balance Type:
Period Type: