'I Pay $1,100 a Month To Live In a 6 Ft Wide Manhattan Apartment'

In September 2020, I moved to Manhattan from Brooklyn. Originally, I had moved to New York in 2017 from Albany to study. I decided to stay because I felt that there were a lot of opportunities in New York and I had many friends here.

Whilst looking for an apartment to rent in Manhattan, I found a small, 6-foot-wide box room that was going for $1,000. Because of COVID, I wasn't able to see it in person. At first, the thought of moving there was ridiculous because it was so small.

So, I continued searching for other apartments. But the more I kept thinking and comparing prices, the more I kept going back to the tiny apartment that I had seen. I began to think, "You know what? I can make it work."

Finding a real estate deal in New York

I felt that for New York, especially Manhattan, the apartment was a good price. I couldn't believe it at first, I thought it couldn't be real because all other utility bills were also included in the overall monthly cost.

After moving in, the main process when renovating the apartment was thinking about the most practical and functional options; for example, having a mini table to eat and work on, rather than a dining room table. Finding furniture that fit the apartment was an issue for me, as I needed to buy narrow and small furniture.

I originally had a twin mattress in the back of the room to use as a bed and a couch, but most recently, I bought a sofa bed in order to have more space, which is still at the other ide of the room. The wardrobe is near the door. Originally, the flat did not come with a kitchen and has a shared bathroom facility. So, under the sink, at the other side of the door, I created a mini kitchen area with a little plug-in toaster oven instead of a big one.

Cooking for one person is very easy in the apartment, but when multiple people are in the kitchen area, it is too crowded. The kitchen is so small that I can only make a certain amount of food.

When I first moved in, I was spending most of my time outside of the apartment and treated it as a place to sleep. But over the past two years, I have enjoyed having friends over and hosting dinner.

The reality of living in a tiny New York apartment

Of course, it becomes a little crowded, but because many of my friends live in the same building as me, they are aware that the space is very small. Other friends have been shocked at how small my apartment is, but they later get used to the space and tell me that it's not that bad.

Although I found quarantining in lockdown difficult due to the tight space, I'm used to my apartment now. I usually work during the day, and when I do work from home, I often take short breaks by going for walks around the block.

Most recently, in September, the monthly price of the apartment rose to $1,100 because of inflation. I had reservations at first and considered moving out, but the more I looked for another apartment, the more I realized that this was still the cheapest place.

I had been making videos for the past 15 years with my friends, but when I first moved into the apartment in 2020, my friends convinced me to download TikTok and showcase my apartment on there, because it was very unique.

Going viral with my tiny apartment

A year and a half later, I decided to upload a video of me doing an apartment tour on YouTube; I was shocked to see that it gained over 10 million views. Although many people had positive things to say about my living space, some comments were very negative. The most common one that I was told, was that I lived in a closet and not a real apartment.

Typically, I found that some of the people that were making those comments lived in the south of America, where houses are typically very big. I think that's why people would also often tell me, "My closet is the size of your apartment."

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I currently work several jobs; I am a bike messenger, a part-time barber and a content creator. Living in Manhattan was very beneficial for me because the school that I attended to get licensed to cut hair was very close to my apartment and I was able to become a bike messenger in my neighborhood.

It has also allowed me to create organic and interesting content on YouTube because as soon as I leave my apartment, there are a thousand different stories that I can tell, just by being in the heart of New York.

I feel that you don't have to be in the best apartment in the world to make your dreams come true. It takes a lot of perseverance to survive in a city, but if it's something you really want, you will typically find a way to make it happen.

Alexander Verheag is a YouTuber and content creator. You can find out more about him here.

All views expressed in this article are the author's own.

As told to Newsweek associate editor, Carine Harb.