New York Man Says He Pays Over Rs 1.5 Lakh A Month In Rent To Live With 23 Roommates

New York City has a reputation of being one of the most expensive cities in the world. While the city is known for its character and charm, it’s not exactly considered budget-friendly. It is common to see people in their late 20s and early 30s living with roommates to help manage the high cost of living. Amid this, a 33-year-old man, who moved to New York from London in 2022, recently opened up about his living situation in Brooklyn’s communal building, where he shares his home with more than two dozen people and pays a staggering $2,100 (approximately Rs 176,000) in rent each month. 

In an interview with CNBC Make It, Ishan Abeysekera, an engineer by profession, lifted the lid on what life is like in his “cohab” home. He revealed that he lives with 23 housemates and it costs him a whopping $2,100 in rent each month. He has a shared bathroom and kitchen. His monthly payment covers WiFi, utilities, household supplies, a weekly cleaning service and a monthly communal breakfast. 

His living situation might have similarities to college housing and might sound wild, but he says that “it’s quite nice”. 

Mr Abeysekera lives in a space operated by Cohabs, a company that offers fully furnished bedrooms and communal living spaces for stays as short as 6 months or as long as a year or more. When he first moved to New York, his company put him up in a one-bedroom apartment in the Financial District for a few months. However, when it came time for him to look for his own space, he said that the high cost of living in the city forced him to consider alternatives to a traditional renter setup. 

After a Google search, the 33-year-old then came across Cohabs. His budget was between $2,000 to $3,000, which more than covered the cost of one of the rooms in the company’s Crown Heights property. He also thought that the shared living experience would give him an opportunity to make friends. 

“How do you really meet people when you’re new to a city? This seemed like a great way to do that,” he said. 

As a result, Mr Abeysekera decided to move into the Cohab space. The building has four floors and 24 bedrooms. The tenants are all in their 20s and 30s. His bedroom is furnished with a bed, storage space, a desk, a desk light and a walk-in closet. He does, however, have to share his bathroom with not just one person, rather than all 23 of his roommates. 

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The building is complete with co-working spaces, an outdoor patio and a finished basement with a massive couch that can fit all the residents at once. There’s even some gym equipment and a number of ongoing building-wide exercise challenges.

“There’s so much shared amenities and space that you’re never really in each other’s way,” Mr Abeysekera said. “And everyone has their own space in terms of their own room,” he added. 

However, he admitted that his current living situation is similar to living in a college dorm. But he insisted that it hadn’t been a problem. “Everyone’s a lot more respectful because they’re more of an adult and more mature,” he said. “Being here has really helped me build a community and make friends. It’s really enriched my life,” he told the outlet.