33-Year-Old Man Pays $2,100 a Month to Live with 23 Roommates in Brooklyn

In a city known for its high cost of living like New York, it’s common to see people in their late 20s and early 30s living with roommates to help manage the high cost of living.

But Ishan Abeysekera has taken this to the next level with his current living situation in Brooklyn: a condominium he shares with 23 other people.

“When I say I have 23 housemates, people say, ‘What? That sounds crazy,’” Abeysekera tells CNBC Make It. “But actually, it’s really cute.”

The 33-year-old engineer lives in a space run by Life partnersa company that offers fully furnished bedrooms and shared living spaces for short stays of up to 6 months or long stays of up to a year or more. In addition to locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, Cohabs has properties in European cities including Madrid, Paris, London and Milan.

In fact, Abeysekera didn’t plan on having so many roommates—or any roommates at all. When he first moved to New York City from London in late 2022 for work, his job landed him a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan’s Financial District.

When he started looking for his own apartment, he searched all over the city for a one-bedroom apartment that fit his $2,000 to $3,000 monthly rental budget. On a whim, he looked for shared housing in Brooklyn and found shared apartments.

When he went on a tour of the available rooms in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, he was immediately impressed to see some of the residents eating dinner together in the dining area.

“How do you really get to know people when you’re new in town? This seems like a great way to do it,” he says.

As a result, Abeysekera decided to move into his new home. He currently pays $2,100 a month for his room. His monthly payment also covers Wi-Fi, utilities, household supplies, a weekly cleaning service, and a monthly communal breakfast.

He initially had a smaller room for which he was paying $1,850 a month — plus an $1,850 security deposit — but upgraded to his current space when the larger room became available.

The tenants in the four-story, 24-bedroom building range in age from 21 to 36. Each person has their own locker in the common living area, and the six refrigerators provide enough space for each tenant to have their own shelf to store their groceries.

“Sharing a kitchen with several people is perfectly fine, you have your own cupboard to put your stuff in,” he says.

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

“There are so many facilities and common space that you never get in the way of each other,” says Abeysekera. “And everyone has their own space in terms of their own room.”

However, he admits that his current situation is a lot like living in a college dorm. But he says there is one major difference: “Everyone is more respectful because they have become more mature and mature.”

Like some of the people I’ve been in college with who have become lifelong friends, Abeysekera says he’s formed strong relationships with people he’s met through Cohabs.

“Being here has really helped me build community and make friends, and it has really enriched my life,” he says.

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