Gerrard Kaonga
Living on your own is a major milestone in many people's lives, but some are questioning how that is even possible in New York City after seeing one woman’s apartment.
If you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere, or so the saying goes, but TikTok users have started asking just how anyone live in the city that never sleeps.
A video has gone viral on TikTok which sees a woman give a tour of her New York apartment and explaining she pays $500 a month.
You might be thinking the woman has struck gold with such a bargain in NYC - after all, this year the average monthly rent in the city soared to a staggering $5,600.
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But when you see inside the tiny apartment, that $500 a month is starting to look less and less reasonable.
TikToker Caleb Simpson has built up a following on the social media platform by asking both celebrities and normal citizens how much they pay for rent and whether he can get a tour of their home.
The video of the woman, identified as fellow TikToker 22-year-old Egypt Mayo, giving a tour of her Staten Island apartment has so far been viewed more than 850,000 views and sparked a debate on whether living in the city is the best option.
The clip was initially shared in October 2022, but has begun recirculating on social media.
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Once invited into her home, Mayo shows that her tiny apartment has a curtain rod to separate her sleeping area and her living space.
In the back of her room, you can also make out a bathroom that has a shower and sink.
There is no clear kitchen space, so Mayo turned her closet into a cooking space where she stores a small fridge, pantry staples and a toaster oven.
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Mayo stated she saw the apartment on Airbnb before enquiring whether they would rent it out to her like a normal arrangement.
Throughout the tour, Caleb and his team praise Mayo for her decorative decisions and keeps things light-hearted.
However, users in the comments section were more critical of the limited space she has available for how much she is paying.
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“I just don’t understand how New York is so great, paying a f*** ton of money to live like this isn’t worth it,” one user wrote.
“My first apartment in the Bronx in 2000 was $520 and it was so much bigger! Man how times have changed,” another added.
“If you have to wash your dishes in the shower we’re failing as a society,” wrote another.
As well as this, other users were commenting just how much more $500 could get in you in other countries around the world.
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However, despite these comments, many other users praised Mayo for being practical with her living arrangements and making the best of the situation.
Others even suggested this could be viable if you only ever use your home to rest your head each night rather than spending extended times there.
And with apartments that are fitted out with luxuries like an actual kitchen going for up to ten times more a month, many people have little choice but to squeeze into these sorts of tiny apartments if they want to make it work in the Big Apple.