Seoul Named Top Global City for 'Forever Renters' as Homeownership Costs Soar

Global real estate price growth of 20% over the last decade has fundamentally altered the buy-versus-rent calculation for urban professionals. A new housing report identifies cities like Seoul and Bangkok as prime locations for "forever renters," where the cost of homeownership has decoupled from rental rates to such an extent that purchasing is no longer the optimal long-term financial decision.

What was announced

A September 2026 housing report by BC.GAME has mapped global cities to determine where renting provides the most significant long-term financial advantage. The study compared the "forever renting" model against traditional homeownership by calculating how many years of rent would equal the average purchase price of a 90 m2 property, while also weighing monthly costs against average net salaries.

Seoul, South Korea, emerged as the most favorable city for long-term renters. While the average rent is relatively affordable at $610 per month—consuming just 17.2% of the average net salary—real estate prices in the city have reached an average of $2.6M for a 90 m2 apartment. Consequently, a resident would need to rent for 357 years to match the cost of a home purchase. Bangkok followed as the second-best option; with monthly rents at $360, it would take 127 years to reach the cost of buying. The Thai capital also maintains a healthy supply with nearly 2.7K open listings.

In Europe, Vienna and Paris showed similar trends. Vienna requires over a century of renting to cover the $1.3M average home price, with rent staying below 30% of net income. Paris stands out for its market volume, offering 17.6K available rental spaces, the largest on the list. Despite a higher monthly rent of $1,188, it takes 94 years to match local property prices. Meanwhile, Zurich remains one of the most expensive markets, where a 90 m2 house currently costs nearly $2.5M.

"In most of the 2010s, buying was cheaper than renting in the majority of global markets. That's no longer true. Just this year, monthly mortgage payments in the US became 20% higher than median rent, and in cities like Paris, Vienna, and Tokyo, the gap is wider still. The homeownership premium built into the traditional buy-versus-rent calculation assumed low rates and moderate house prices. Neither of those conditions holds anymore, and cities with stable renting cultures were better positioned for this shift than markets where renting was always treated as a temporary inconvenience."

The CEO of BC Games

The companies involved

BC.GAME is a digital platform that has increasingly expanded its footprint within the fintech and decentralized finance sectors. While the company is often associated with gaming and crypto-asset environments, its recent initiatives demonstrate a broader interest in macroeconomic data and market analytics. The firm has established a presence in the evolving blockchain ecosystem, notably through technical integrations that bridge traditional financial concepts with digital assets.

The company occupies a specific niche in the market, catering to a demographic that is highly mobile and digitally native—the same group most affected by the "forever renter" trend identified in their research. By analyzing global housing through the lens of net salary and long-term financial flexibility, BC.GAME is positioning itself as a source of insight for users who prioritize liquidity over illiquid real estate assets. This shift in focus aligns with their recent technical activities, including the support of emerging token ecosystems and chain-specific integrations that facilitate high-velocity financial activity.

What FF News has reported before

FF News has previously tracked the intersection of rising urban costs and the digital asset space. In late September 2026, the publication detailed how Seoul Named Top City for 'Forever Renters' as Global Housing Costs Skyrocket, highlighting the extreme disparity between Korean rental yields and property valuations. Additionally, the platform's technical evolution was noted when BC.GAME Integrates CASHCAT Token Amid Surging Robinhood Chain Activity. This earlier report underscored the company's strategy of integrating with high-activity retail chains, suggesting a move toward capturing the financial attention of younger, tech-savvy users who are navigating the volatile housing and investment markets described in their latest study.

What this means

The "forever renter" phenomenon signals a major shift for the fintech sector, particularly for wealth management and neo-banking apps. As the dream of homeownership becomes mathematically unviable in major hubs like Seoul and Paris, the financial services industry must pivot from mortgage-centric products to long-term wealth preservation tools for renters. Traditional banks are under pressure as the "homeownership premium" vanishes, potentially leading to a decline in mortgage demand among the most productive urban demographics. This environment creates a vacuum for innovative savings products that offer the stability once provided by home equity, but with the liquidity required by a mobile, global workforce.