Starter Tier ยท Foundation Business ยท #6 of 100
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Real Estate

$3.30M base cost ยท $1.40K/sec

Business Overview

Location, location, income.

The Real Estate isn't flashy, but its steady per-second return is exactly what a growing empire needs.

Cost Scaling

Every business in Tycoon Cards uses the same cost curve: each copy costs 15% more than the last. For the Real Estate, that looks like this:

Copies ownedCost of next copyTotal spent to reach this many
1$3.79M$3.30M
10$13.4M$67.0M
25$109M$702M
50$3.58B$23.8B
100$3.88T$25.8T

Income Scaling

Income scales linearly with copies owned โ€” no diminishing returns, ever. Owning more of the Real Estate always earns proportionally more:

Copies ownedIncome per second
1$1.40K/s
10$14.0K/s
25$35.0K/s
50$70.0K/s
100$140K/s

Profit Calculations

Payback period (1st copy)2,357 seconds
Income per dollar spent$0.0/s per $1
Efficient switch pointAround copy #20 (when the next copy costs more than Investment Bank)

See the Business Tier List for how this business ranks against all other 99 tiers by payback period.

Unlock Requirements

There is no gating system on businesses in Tycoon Cards โ€” the Real Estate is available to purchase from the very start of any run, the moment you can afford its $3.30M base cost. The only realistic "requirement" is reaching that amount of money, either by clicking, by owning cheaper businesses, or by carrying prestige and card bonuses from a previous run.

Best Upgrades

Individual businesses don't have their own upgrade trees in Tycoon Cards โ€” the Real Estate always earns exactly $1.40K per copy at base rate. What actually "upgrades" its value are the game's shared systems: levelling supporting cards (below), earning achievement bonuses, and increasing your prestige multiplier. Each of these applies as a percentage on top of every business you own, including this one.

Best Supporting Cards

At this tier, cost-reduction cards give the best return โ€” you'll buy many copies of this business, so every percentage off compounds across dozens of purchases. All-income cards are a strong secondary pick.

Prestige Recommendations

This tier is typically the very first business you rebuy after every prestige reset โ€” its low cost means you'll be back to owning dozens of copies within moments of a fresh run.

Read the full Prestige Guide for general reset timing, or the Prestige Point Planning guide to calculate exactly how many points your next reset will earn.

Research Interactions

Tycoon Cards does not currently include a research-tree system โ€” the Real Estate cannot be researched or unlocked through any mechanic beyond simply affording it. A research tree is listed as a possible future system on our Updates & Roadmap page; this section will be updated if that ever changes.

Evolution Path (Tier Progression)

Businesses in Tycoon Cards don't evolve or transform โ€” each tier is a permanent, independent business. What we can show honestly is this business's place in the overall 100-tier progression:

Visual Progression

The five tiers surrounding the Real Estate in the business roster:

Best Strategies

  • Buy this tier aggressively and in bulk โ€” at this cost level, ten cheap copies almost always beat saving for a single copy of the next tier.
  • Use the x10 or x100 buy buttons once you can afford them, rather than purchasing one copy at a time.
  • Remember that all businesses share the same 15%-per-copy cost curve, so the fundamental buy/hold maths never changes โ€” only the absolute numbers do.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does the Real Estate cost?

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The first copy costs 3,300,000 in-game dollars. Each subsequent copy costs 15% more than the last, following the same cost curve used by every business in Tycoon Cards.

How much does the Real Estate earn?

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Each copy of the Real Estate earns 1,400 per second, before any card, achievement, or prestige bonuses are applied.

How long does it take for the Real Estate to pay for itself?

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At base rates, one copy pays back its own cost in approximately 2,357 seconds โ€” though bonuses from cards and prestige typically shorten this in practice.

When should I switch from the Real Estate to Investment Bank?

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Once you own around 20 copies of the Real Estate, the cost of your next copy will exceed Investment Bank's base price โ€” a reasonable signal to start diversifying into that tier instead.

Does prestige reset my Real Estate count?

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Yes. Prestiging resets all business ownership, including the Real Estate, back to zero. However, any cards or achievements that boost this business's income remain permanently in effect on your next run.

Related Businesses

Related Guides

Changelog

  • v1.0.0 (January 2026) โ€” Available since the original Tycoon Cards release.

Business data verified against the live game configuration ยท Part of the 100-business encyclopedia ยท Written by the Tycoon Cards development team