Love for Rent? Why Hobosexuality Is Sneaking Into Indian City Life

Hobosexuality is quietly becoming a new dating trend in Indian metros. A playful yet meaningful term, it describes individuals who enter romantic relationships primarily because of housing or financial resources, as opposed to a real emotional connection. The slang term “hobo” combined with “sexuality”, is growing in popularity in Indian cities amid rising rents and the high cost of living.  

For many professional young adults, paying rent in cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, or Delhi may consume half their monthly take home salary. As rental and living prices increase, shared living with a partner is more of a strategy than a romantic endeavor. In this scenario, one partner is termed the hobosexual (the person without housing or resources) while the other is termed the “host.” The overlap between romantic and opportunistic can create scenarios where what starts as romance quickly becomes a “relationship of convenience,” with one partner becoming not just more comfortable, but much more burdensome in terms of emotional and financial obligations.

Hobosexuality involves not just luxury traveling but also fundamental survival in harsh urban housing markets. Some may move in quickly after dating for a variety of reasons, to combine expenses, not displace one another, or to stay interdependent so that they do not have to a) figure out life alone b) emotionally face the unknown. The concept of hobosexuality is spurred by social factors, urban migration, lack of stigma around cohabitating, the dynamic of gender renegotiation, and the changing structure of relationships. 

As romantic options through hobosexuality arise, emotional dilemmas emerge. Although true love can stem from such arrangements, a divergence in emotional motivations and concealed discrepancies can sometimes lead to cognitive dissonance, feelings of resentment and dependency. With rising rent prices, the collision of love and survival in Indian cities, and the inevitable confluence of genuine desire or pure practicality – awareness and conversations that reinforce boundaries are more important than ever, and to ensure relationships are formed rooted in authentic connection, not merely where to live.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not promote or encourage transactional relationships.