Buy or rent? Hong Kong homebuyers face an age-old housing dilemma

Trapped between rising residential rents and the looming shadow of interest rate increases, Hong Kong homebuyers are revisiting that age-old dilemma when making decisions about housing: buy or rent? The Centa-City Rental Index (CRI), which reflects the rent of second-hand private residential properties in Hong Kong, has been rising throughout the year to 136.34 in July from 129.57 at the beginning of 2026, a cumulative increase of 5.2 per cent.

“The rent is too high,” said Jimmy Lau, who works...