This 23-year-old is paying $1,100 a month to rent a 95-square-foot apartment in New York City

in 2020, Alex Verhag has moved into a 95-square-foot apartment in Manhattan’s East Village. He pays $1,000 a month.

“People might call this place just a room or a closet, but to me, it’s home,” Verheg told CNBC Make It.

The 23-year-old barber, bike messenger and content creator found the apartment in Zillow and only got to see it. outer space Pictures before he moved in.

“It was a little shock when I saw how small it was, but I really wanted to experience living in this area,” he said. “Any space can be turned into a home, no matter how big or small. You just have to put some love in it.”

Verhaeg’s mother co-signed his lease, and the initial costs for his move were $2,000: $1,000 for the first month’s rent and $1,000 for a security deposit.

His rent has since increased to $1,100 a month.

in Verhaeg A small apartment It does not come with the bathroom. Instead, the five-story building has a share of the population The Three bathrooms and two shower falling on each floor.

“Living here can feel like you’re in college dorms because of the shared facilities,” he said. “Sometimes you’ll see your neighbors in a towel or a bathrobe. You’ll kind of get used to it.”

In addition to the lack of a bathroom, the apartment also lacks a traditional kitchen. Verhaeg has an electric stove who lives on top From a cupboard he uses to store food.

The apartment has a sink in the corner with a medicine cabinet, which Verhaeg refers to as his bathroom area.

It also has one closet and a small space upstairs where he stores his clothes and shaving kit.

“The main benefit of living in such a small space is that it makes you value your things and be simple,” he said. “You can’t really go out and buy random things because you don’t have the space to store them.”