A New York resident gave a tour of her $7,000-a-month apartment (13 photos + 1 video)

Ellie Shapiro from New York recently posted a video on TikTok in which she showed off her rather modest apartment with a very immodest rent of $7,000. Not surprisingly, the video is called “Why We Have to Move.”





The fact that the Big Apple is expensive is, of course, not news, but landlords never cease to amaze with the impudence with which they raise rental prices.

Before moving out of her rented apartment in New York, Ellie Shapiro decided to talk about how unaffordable rental prices have become



“Unfortunately, the rent in our building was raised and the apartment is only 570 square feet (53 sq. m.), so we are forced to move.”

“Let me show you what you can get in New York for $7,000 a month.”





“This is all living space.”



“This is a kitchen that I honestly can’t complain about. She is gorgeous. Yes, very small, but the decoration is amazing, especially for New York"



“This is a modern, clean, good apartment. But that's all"



“It's less than 600 square feet and is on the 2nd floor in the East Village.”



“You hear this noise (the sound of a siren in the video) all day and all night, and they want to charge $7,000 a month for it.”



“This is our tiny bedroom. One chest of drawers, one bedside table, built-in wardrobe"



“We also managed to squeeze a small table with a mirror into the corner. But nothing else fits"



“And the wardrobe is literally bursting at the seams, because it is intended for me and my boyfriend. My shoes don’t fit there, although two-thirds of the closet is mine.”



“For this money, one would think that we live comfortably in a huge apartment. See, that's not true. For the kind of money they charge us, it’s simply impractical to live here.”

Life in New York City is often romanticized and glorified by those who can afford to live well there. However, the reality of life in this concrete jungle is that unless you have a very large salary or parents who will support you, you will most likely have a hard time making ends meet.

According to RentCafe, the cost of living in New York City is 78% higher than the national average and 37% higher than the state average. Housing in the Big Apple is 228% more expensive than the U.S. average, and food is about 26% more expensive than most other cities in the country. And it doesn’t look like it’s going to get cheaper anytime soon.

In August 2023, the average rental price in Manhattan reached an all-time high of $5,588 per month, according to CNBC. In general, since 2019, rental prices in Manhattan have increased by 30%.

The recent rise in rents in New York City is being driven by a variety of factors.



No apartment in Manhattan is immune to rising rents, either. According to CNBC, one-bedroom apartments have risen in price by 19% since the pandemic, but larger and more expensive apartments have suffered even more: prices for three-bedroom apartments have risen by 36%. Unfortunately, demand also often outstrips supply when it comes to finding an apartment in New York City, as many renters choose to stay put rather than compete for a new home.

New York is facing a serious housing crisis



The city's housing vacancy rate is only 3%, and there are 73 homeless people per 10,000 New Yorkers, Pew reports. According to the New York Times, half the populationthe city can no longer afford to live in it. Meanwhile, in states like Mississippi, renters can pay about $700 a month for a one-bedroom apartment.

Here's a full tour of Ellie's apartment