I pay $2,100 a month in rent to live with 23 roommates and share a bathroom in NYC – here’s how

The Sri Lankan, who moved to New York from London in 2022, shares his home in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, with more than two dozen people as part of a dormitory-like shared living space the college. It costs him a staggering $2,100 in rent every month.

In a recent interview with CNBC, the 33-year-old revealed what life is like in his “cohab” home. It may have similarities to college housing, he says, but, thankfully, it’s more “respectable.”

Still, Abeysekera must endure aspects of the college experience that many adults would likely hate—namely, shared bathrooms, shared kitchens, and, of course, being surrounded by other people almost constantly.

When the tech expert first moved to New York, his company put him up in a one-bedroom apartment in the Financial District for a few months. But when it came time for him to look for his own space, he says the high cost of living in the city forced him to consider alternatives to a traditional tenant arrangement.

After a Google search, he found Cohabs, a company that offers fully furnished bedrooms and shared living spaces.

Stays can be as short as six months or as long as a year or more. His budget was between $2,000 and $3,000, which more than covered the cost of one of the rooms at the company’s Crown Heights property.

Abeysekera also felt that the shared living experience would give him an opportunity to make friends.

“How do you really meet people when you’re new to a city, and this seemed like a great way to do it, so here I am,” he told CNBC while showing off the space.

Abeysekera, an engineer, lives in space in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. The building has four floors and 24 bedrooms. The tenants are all in their 20s and 30s.

Cohabs also has similar locations in Manhattan and Europe, including in Madrid, Paris, London and Milan.

He says when he toured the space and saw people hanging out together in the common area, he knew he would like it. The fact that the four-story house offered rooms that were within his budget made it even more appealing.

The rent Abeysekera pays covers Wi-Fi, utilities, a weekly cleaning service and a monthly communal breakfast.

Abeysekera’s bedroom is furnished with a bed, storage space, a desk, a table lamp and a wardrobe. He does, however, have to share a bathroom — albeit with just one other person, instead of all 23 of his roommates.

And even then, he insists it hasn’t been a problem.

“Once I had to wait 15 minutes to take a shower, which for a year and a half I think is good,” he jokes.

“Overall, in my experience, there haven’t been any major challenges with so many housemates. And I think the main reason for that is that there is [many] comfort and shared space that you are never in each other’s way, and everyone has their own space in terms of their own room.

In terms of shared living spaces, the property has plenty, including a terrace and rooftop, a small gym and a basement with a TV and a large couch that, Abeysekera notes, can fit all the roommates , with free space.

“There’s not much that’s going to make me leave,” Abeysekera adds. Cohabitation has even helped to “enrich” his life, and he plans to stay in touch with most of his roommates, even if they move away.