Living With 23 Roommates In NYC For $2,100 A Month 'Sounds Wild.' Here's How A 33-Year-Old Is Making It Work And Why

In a city where affordable housing is hard to find, some New Yorkers are getting creative. Ishan Abeysekera, a 33-year-old engineer, took a different route when he moved to Brooklyn — he chose to live in a shared building with 23 other people. While this might sound chaotic, it's actually been a surprisingly enjoyable and practical way for him to settle into city life.

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Why So Many Roommates?

When Ishan moved to New York from London in late 2022, he didn't know many people in the city. After spending his first couple of months in a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan, courtesy of his job, he started looking for a place that fit within his $2,000 to $3,000 monthly budget. Traditional apartment hunting wasn't yielding the results he wanted, so he began exploring communal living options.

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Besides, "How do you really meet people when you're new to a city? This seemed like a great way to do that," he told CNBC’s “Make It.”

He soon discovered a company offering shared living spaces. A visit to their building in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, convinced him to give it a shot. Seeing residents enjoying a communal dinner gave Ishan the sense that this setup could help him build connections in a new city.

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What The Living Situation Looks Like

For $2,100 a month, Ishan gets his own bedroom in a four-story building with 24 bedrooms. The rent also includes utilities, WiFi, household supplies, weekly cleaning and a monthly communal breakfast. Plus, there's a lot of shared space in the building, including a large kitchen, coworking areas, a patio and a basement gym.

About the shared kitchen situation, he says “Sharing a kitchen with so many people is completely fine. You have your own cupboard to leave your stuff in. We have six fridges which are shared among 24 people. Everyone has their own shelf, and there’s shared freezer spaces. Generally, everyone cooks for themselves.”

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One of Ishan's main goals in choosing this living arrangement was to meet new people and build a social network in New York. The experience has exceeded his expectations, allowing him to forge meaningful friendships that he believes will last long-term.

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Is it worth it? For Ishan, living with 23 other people in Brooklyn has been a rewarding experience. Or, as he puts it, “I think I’ve met some people who I feel like I’ll still be friends with when I’m 60.”