As businesses, investors, and hobbyists finally accept the fact that the metaverse is going to be a thing, virtual real estate has been soaring faster than the real-world housing market. It’s even prompted The Motley Fool to issue an all-in buy alert.
Unfortunately, prices for virtual real estate have also increased substantially. For example, property in Decentraland is averaging the equivalent of nearly $20,000 USD (that’s right, real US dollars). But not all hope is lost. The cheapest metaverse land we’ve found is around $20 USD – for now. Here’s where to find it.
Note: This list will be updated regularly as we find new sources of cheap metaverse land.
Second Life
LindenLabs was arguably the first real step into the metaverse. They released Second Life in 2003 as a virtual world that really acts more like a platform than a game. While many have successfully followed suit, Second Life has had trouble building its user base.
That’s not to say that they completely lack a user base. Estimates put it between 750,000 and 1,000,000 users per month. It’s not as big as its newer rivals, so its real estate costs much less. However, it still boasts enough users to maintain a robust in-world economy.
But here’s the kicker: Second Life’s founder recently announced that he’s coming back to help revamp his creation for the metaverse. One of the most notable changes: they are FINALLY going to develop a mobile app, which could create huge strides in growing the user base. That, of course, has the potential to increase demand for its land – and it’s why we think now is the time to invest.
Second Life Land Pricing and Info
Only premium members are able to purchase land in Second Life. A premium membership costs $12 per month. However, it includes a $L300 weekly stipend – worth about 6 or 7 US dollars per month.
The parcels themselves are significantly cheaper than most metaverse land sales. If, for example, you’re wanting to set up a small virtual satellite office for your business or an in-world coffee shop, you could probably get enough land to fit your building in the $20 USD range.
Keep in mind, when we say satellite office, we’re talking about a place to speak one-on-one with potential clients or to host a small seminar. If you want your employees to work remotely in Second Life, you may need an estate. Those are much more expensive, although they still cost less than land plots in Decentraland or The Sandbox.
Monthly land-use fees also apply and start at $4 (USD). That covers a 512 m² parcel. It’s not much, but it could prove useful for some purposes. Parcel sizes double from there, but the monthly fees don’t – at least, not quite. For each next-tier parcel size, the price is $1 less than what would be double. So, a 1024 m² lot has a monthly land-use fee of $7 rather than $8.
Some land and estate owners rent out smaller parcels of land at a lower monthly price. This means you’ll only have to pay a monthly rental fee that may or may not be lower than the combined land-use fee and premium membership cost. In most cases, you can treat rented land the same as purchased land.
It’s also worth mentioning that Second Life is one of the easiest places to buy metaverse land. The Linden Dollar (SL’s in-game currency used for land sales) isn’t technically a cryptocurrency, so it’s easy to purchase with a debit or credit card.
Multiverse: Making the Metaverse
Obviously, VR will play a significant role in the metaverse. That’s where Multiverse comes in. It’s an app available on a handful of VR devices (and only VR devices so far) that offers a variety of experiences. One of them is its “Infiniverse.” This area resembles a city in which users can purchase apartments and storefronts.
Multiverse Land Pricing and Info
Right now, apartments are relatively cheap – around $20 – $50 USD (some may cost more). There isn’t much to them at the moment, but Multiverse is also in its beta phase. So, this just might be the time to invest.
Purchasing a storefront is a little more involved. If you click one of the in-app storefront boards, it’ll tell you to email their sales team. They will then ask a series of questions before recommending a price.
While this may sound like an exhausting process, it’s still (currently) much cheaper than the tens of thousands that users are paying for virtual land in most other worlds.
However, if you visit their website, sign in, and click on “Create Metaverse,” you’ll see a price list that allows users and businesses to create their own metaverse (virtual world).
They offer a free version, then have two more paid tiers at a monthly cost of $8 and $33 (the latter must be paid annually). They also offer an enterprise option, but users must contact sales for that pricing.
It’s worth mentioning that Multiverse land has an appreciating value.
It’s important to note that while the multiverse app is only available on a handful of VR headsets, you can use a desktop to set up and arrange your virtual environment in “Create Metaverse.”
From Multiverse Online
Upland: Cheap Metaverse Land That’s Mapped to Actual Real Estate
Upland is essentially a combination of Monopoly and the metaverse. They use real-world maps to turn real addresses into virtual land.
Users can sell land and collect UPX (the game’s cryptocurrency) when visitors stumble across their properties, just like Monopoly.
Upland Land Pricing
Here’s the great thing about buying land in Upland: your signup bonus is enough to buy your first property. That’s right, you don’t even have to invest real money into Upland properties: their FSA program makes it easy for newbies to buy land right way.
Tip for Buying Upland Properties
There is one catch, though: you’ll need to buy your first property as soon as you begin playing. Why? Because your Upland avatar roams aimlessly around your starting city. If you don’t buy land right away, it will roam away from the properties meant for newer players. You may never find it again.
If this happens, don’t worry; there’s a workaround. Just let your visa expire, then start back from scratch. You’ll once again be placed near a property that can be purchased with your signup bonus.
Roblox: The Equivalent of FREE Metaverse Land
If metaverse land can be described as a 3D place to showcase your business or creativity, then Roblox offers it for free. No upfront costs or monthly fees, just a commission from your sales.
Big names like Nike and Forever 21 have successfully set up a virtual presence to promote their brands. Their Roblox worlds are quite large, provide robust functionality, and host several users at a time.
It doesn’t function in quite the same way as traditional metaverse land. Users can’t just roam around a virtual world until they randomly encounter your setup. But they might be able to find you in Roblox’s app search.
It’ll probably still require a little more promotion on your end, but the real estate savings could be worth it.
Metaverse Land in Development
Emerging platforms are often a great place to find the cheapest metaverse land. Here, we’ll cover platforms that (as of this writing) are still in development. They are likely to offer land sales at lower prices as part of their efforts to attract more users (more on that later).
Meta Ruffy
As of this writing, Meta Ruffy is a newcomer to the metaverse that’s still in development. Their dAPP dedicates a section to land sales, but land sales haven’t started yet.
This means that investors, businesses, and hobbyists can take advantage of the lower initial prices once land sales do open. Obviously, there’s no way to know how well Ruffy World’s real estate value will perform, but given how wildly popular its cryptocurrency has been, there is reason for optimism.
Since Meta Ruffy is setting itself aside as the entertainment district of the metaverse, it’s possible that land sells will be limited either to those specializing in entertainment venues or the industries that serve the entertainment industry. However, it’s too soon to say for sure.
Update (3/17/22, all prices are as of this date): Meta Ruffy has announced its land sale prices
- Private Sale (March 19-20): 1 Million $MR ($191 USD)
- Presale (March 20th): 2 Million $MR ($382 USD)
- Launch (March 21st): 3 Million $MR ($572 USD)
- Permanent Price: 4 Million $MR ($758 USD)
The private sale is only available to attendees of the Dubai Crypto Expo. The presale is only available for whitelisted users.
ShibaLand
The developers of the popular Shiba Inu meme coin have announced their plans to build ShibaLand (formerly code named Shiberse). They hope to build a decentralized virtual world that disrupts the metaverse and other industries. ShibaLand will be traded for $LEASH when it becomes available.
Buying Metaverse Land as an Early Adopter
As the metaverse continues to grow, we’ll see new virtual worlds emerge and new opportunities to invest in them (including land). If you’re seeking opportunities as an early investor, we encourage you to check our New Metaverse Projects section regularly. There, we’ll cover the latest developments in the metaverse and new opportunities to invest in virtual land.
Did we Miss any Cheap Metaverse Land? Tell us Below!
We’re always scouring for new ways to make the metaverse accessible for more people. If there are additional opportunities to purchase cheaper virtual real estate, let us know in the comments below! We’ll also try to keep this list updated as new platforms emerge.
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