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In such a city notorious Expensive In New York, it’s common to see people in their 20s and early 30s living with roommates to ease the high cost of living.
But Ishan Abeysekera’s current living situation in Brooklyn takes that goal to a new level: He shares a public building with 23 other people.
“When I say I have 23 roommates, people are like, ‘What? That sounds crazy,'” Abeysekera tells CNBC Make It. “But actually, it’s great.”
The 33-year-old engineer lives in CohabitantsThe company offers fully furnished bedrooms and communal living spaces for stays of six months or a year or more. In addition to apartments in Manhattan and Brooklyn, Cohabs also owns properties in European cities including Madrid, Paris, London and Milan.
Ishan Abeysekera believes that choosing a communal living space will increase his chances of making friends in his new city.
Valentina Duarte | CNBC Success Story
Abeysekera didn’t actually plan to have so many roommates — or any roommates at all. When he first moved to New York from London for work in late 2022, his job arranged for him to live in a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan’s financial district.
When he began looking for his own apartment, he searched the city for a one-bedroom that fit his $2,000 to $3,000-a-month rent budget. On a whim, he looked up co-living in Brooklyn and stumbled upon Cohabs.
When he visited the vacant rooms in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, he saw some of the residents having dinner together in the dining room and was immediately intrigued.
“When you’re new to a city, how do you really get to know the locals? This seemed like a great way to do it,” he said.
So Abeysekera put pen to paper and moved in. He currently pays $2,100 a month for the apartment. His monthly payments also include WiFi, utilities, household items, weekly cleaning services and monthly communal breakfasts.
Residents of Cohabs have their own rooms but share living spaces.
Valentina Duarte | CNBC Success Story
He initially lived in a smaller room, paying $1,850 a month, plus a $1,850 deposit up front, but upgraded to his current room when a larger room became available.
The four-story building has 24 bedrooms, and residents range in age from 21 to 36. Everyone has their own locker in the common living area, and six refrigerators have enough space for each resident to have their own shelves for groceries.
“It’s totally fine to share a kitchen with so many people,” he said. “You can have your own cupboards to store things.”
The building comes with coworking space, an outdoor patio, and a finished basement with a giant couch that can accommodate all residents at once. There’s even some fitness equipment and some ongoing, building-wide workout challenges.
The Cohabs building in Ishan provides cubicles for each resident.
Valentina Duarte | CNBC Success Story
“There are so many shared facilities and spaces here, so you’re never in each other’s way,” Abeysekera said. “Everyone has their own room.”
Still, he admits that his current accommodation has “a lot of similarities” to university dorms. But he says there is one key difference: “Everyone is more respectful because they’re more mature and sophisticated.”
Just like some classmates in a college dorm become lifelong friends, Abeysekera said he has built strong relationships with people he met through Cohabs.
“Being here has really helped me build community and make friends,” he said. “It’s really enriched my life.”
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