The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition for preventing or treating rheumatoid arthritis, and a stem cell therapeutic agent for treating rheumatoid arthritis, comprising nasal inferior turbinate-derived mesenchymal stem cells as an active ingredient. Nasal inferior turbinate-derived mesenchymal stem cells of the present invention have the effects of reducing the production of interleukin-17A (IL-17A), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), immunoglobulin G2 (IgG2a) which is an inflammation-inducing factor, and/or the proliferative ability of lymph node T cells, increasing interleukin-10 (IL-10) and/or regulatory T-cells (Treg, CD4+CD25+foxp3+ cell) that contribute to immune tolerance in spleen cells, and inhibiting the proliferation of human T-cells. The nasal inferior turbinate-derived mesenchymal stem cells have a safer acquisition process than existing mesenchymal stem cells and can be acquired in sufficient amounts within a desired period of time, thus allowing mesenchymal stem cells to be acquired at low cost and high efficiency. Moreover, since the nasal inferior turbinate-derived mesenchymal stem cells have the same genetic origin as individuals administered therewith there are few side effects, the nasal inferior turbinate-derived mesenchymal stem cells can be usefully used for preventing or treating in individually tailored immunocompatible rheumatoid arthritis.