- Alex Verhaeg moved into a 95-square-foot East Village apartment at the beginning of 2020.
- Verhaeg shares bathrooms with his neighbors and pays $1,100 for his microstudio.
- New York City’s median rent has reached $4,000 per person in Manhattan, so Dorm-style living is becoming more popular.
New Yorkers are choosing tiny apartments in order to live in one of the most expensive US cities. They share their bathrooms with neighbors and have a chance to save money.
Alex Verhaeg (23 years old) pays $1,100 per month for a 95-square foot apartment in Manhattan’s East Village. But, According to CNBCIt’s dorm-style housing. He shares three bathrooms with his neighbors on his floor.
CNBC’s Jeremy said, “Living here can kind of feel like your college dorms” because of the shared amenities. Sometimes you will see your neighbors in towels or bathrobes. It’s easy to get used to it.
Verhaeg’s arrangement of living is not uncommon for Manhattan residents who are looking for affordable housing. TikTok has been used by Verhaeg and other New Yorkers to share their unique setups.
Alaina Randazzo claims she lives in the “most affordable apartment in New York City” at $650 per month. The catch? She must leave her microstudio to go to the bathroom, which is separate but private.
Randazzo’s 80-square-foot tiny apartment includes a mini kitchen, mini fridge and microwave as well as a sink. TikTok’s apartment tour has been viewed more than two million times.
The small space she used was so well utilized that viewers were shocked and impressed.
“That’s not an apartment… that’s a cupboard,” one commenter wrote.
“That’s shocking. One other wrote: “I have seen prison cells that are larger.”
Some New Yorkers commented on the low rent, even for such a small area. One wondered how they managed to get it for $650. Randazzo is blessed with a private bathroom and a skylight.
TikToker Axel Webber went viral in 2021For his 95-square-foot, $1,200 apartment. A A short tour of his spaceThe post, which had a loft bed, refrigerator, and no stove or bathroom private, was liked by over seven million people and received tens of thousand of comments.
Insider reported that Webber was living in a car at the time he found the East Village apartment for sale on Facebook Marketplace. Webber, like Verhaeg shares a bathroom with neighboring residents who live on the same floor.
“I saw the listing, looked at the photos, and it seemed small online. But it was smaller in person.” It was a place I fell in love with, he said. “I was like, “This place is perfect only for me, for one individual, and it’s available, so it’s my wish right now.”
May: Manhattan’s median rent was $4,000New York City’s median income is around $52,000 per month.
CNBC spoke with Verhaeg who said he was not bothered by the $100 extra he had to pay for his rent, which increased from $1,000 to $1100 this year. He doesn’t have utilities and didn’t mind paying that extra $100. When asked about his “bathroom situation”, Verhaeg shared his breakdown with 54,000 TikTok users.
Verhaeg shows how he exits his apartment and walks down the hall to three rooms, one with a sink and toilet, and another with only a shower. Commenters pointed out his unusual layout.
One comment said, “You can see how the converted a regular apartment into three overpriced chicken farms.”
Verhaeg discovered his tiny apartment on Zillow 2020, but didn’t get to see it in person until he was ready to move in.
He told CNBC that it was surprising to see how small the area was. However, he said that he was excited to live in the area. No matter how small or large the space, it can be transformed into a home. You only need to put your heart and soul into it.
