Affordable one-room apartment with a floor area of 7 square meters priced at $650 per month in New York, gaining viral attention from a YouTube personality
Living Small in the Big Apple: Alaina's Micro-Apartment
New York City, known for its bustling energy, job opportunities, and cultural scene, is also notorious for its high housing costs. In a market where the median home price hovers around $1.1 million, and the average rent exceeds $3,200 per month, even for small and modest dwellings, many are turning to compact living spaces to make ends meet. Alaina, a young woman living in a 7.7 square meter (about 83 square feet) apartment in Manhattan, is a prime example of this trend.
Despite the limitations, Alaina demonstrates practicality and organization, using small tricks to maximize space use in her apartment. Her viral apartment tour, conducted by Caleb Simpson, reveals a compact kitchen, a sofa bed, a minimum wardrobe, and a loft bed in the apartment. The video, which has accumulated over 24 million views, showcases Alaina's creative solutions for living in such a small space.
One of the most striking features of Alaina's apartment is its lack of windows. However, she views this as an advantage as many similar apartments in the city require sharing a bathroom with other tenants. Her bathroom is located at the end of the hallway, outside the apartment, providing her with a private space.
Alaina moved into her micro-apartment to reduce housing expenses. Previously, she lived in a place costing over $3,000 per month. This strategy of spending less on rent to have more resources for other aspects of life is a shift in priorities for many young people. According to recent data, Generation X spent an average of $250 per month on non-essential expenses last summer, while Generation Z and millennials spent an average of over $400 per month. Baby boomers, on the other hand, spent less than $200 per month on non-essential expenses.
The choices regarding spending less on housing and more on non-essential expenses are subject to varying interpretations, from admiration to judgment. The comments on the video reflect a mix of disbelief, criticism, and resignation. However, the trend in New York City is increasingly toward small, affordable living spaces. The demand for smaller spaces is reinforced by younger people expanding their rental searches into boroughs like Brooklyn and Queens, where more inventory is emerging but rents remain competitive.
The micro-apartment was highly sought after, and Alaina had to compete with other interested parties to secure it. Her apartment costs $650 per month, making it an affordable option in a competitive market. This extreme but increasingly visible case reflects the broader NYC trend: in an expensive and competitive housing market, there is growing accommodation of very small, affordable units to meet demand, especially among single occupants or those prioritizing location over space.
This trend is a response to both escalating costs and limited availability of housing. While some may view Alaina's apartment as a sacrifice, for her, it represents a step towards financial freedom and a chance to live in the heart of the city she loves.
References: 1. NYC Housing Market 2025: Trends and Predictions 2. Micro-Apartments in NYC: A Growing Trend 3. Right-Sizing in NYC: Smaller Homes for Older Buyers 4. Rent Trends in Manhattan 2025 5. Median Home Prices in NYC Mid-2025
- To further reduce expenses, Alaina invests in minimalist furniture, opting for compact designs and multi-purpose pieces to create a functional living setup within her micro-apartment.
- As the demand for real-estate in New York City consistently outpaces supply, a growing number of prospective homeowners and renters are exploring alternative financing methods to enter the housing market.
- Recognizing the appeal of compact living and the rising interest in micro-apartments, home-and-garden enthusiasts are experimenting with small space design solutions, as seen in various online lifestyle blogs and investing in viewers' vision of transforming their own small dwellings.
