In a city as notoriously expensive as 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 that to the next level with his current living situation in Brooklyn: a communal building that he shares with a whopping 23 other people.
“When I say I have 23 housemates, people are like ‘What? That sounds wild,'” Abeysekera tells CNBC Make It. “But actually, it’s quite nice.”
The 33-year-old engineer lives in a space operated by Cohabs, a company that offers fully furnished bedrooms and communal living spaces for stays as short as 6 months or as long as a year or more. In addition to locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, Cohabs has properties scattered across European cities including Madrid, Paris, London and Milan.
Ishan Abeysekera decided that choosing a communal living space would increase his chances of making friends in a new city.
Valentina Duarte | CNBC Make It
Abeysekera actually didn’t set out to have 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 put him up in a one-bedroom apartment in Manhattan’s Financial District.
When he set out to find his own apartment, he looked all over the city for a one-bedroom that would fit into his monthly rent budget of $2,000 to $3,000. On a whim, he looked up communal living in Brooklyn and came across Cohabs.
When he went to tour the available room in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, he was immediately sold seeing some of the residents having dinner together in the dining area.
“How do you really meet people when you’re new to a city? This seemed like a great way to do that,” he says.
As a result, Abeysekera put pen to paper and moved in. He currently pays $2,100 a month for his room. His monthly payment also covers WiFi, utilities, household supplies, a weekly cleaning service and monthly communal breakfast.
Cohabs residents have their own rooms but shared living spaces.
Valentina Duarte | CNBC Make It
He initially had a smaller room for which he paid $1,850 per month — along with $1,850 due up front for his security deposit — but upgraded to his current space when the larger room became available.
The four-floor, 24-bedroom building’s tenants range in age from 21 to 36. Each person has their own locker in the communal living area, and the six refrigerators have enough space for each tenant to have their own shelf for their groceries.
“Sharing a kitchen with so many people is completely fine,” he says. “You have your own cupboard to leave your stuff in.”
The building is complete with coworking spaces, an outdoor patio and a finished basement with a massive couch that can fit all the residents at once. There’s even some gym equipment and number of ongoing building-wide exercise challenges.
Ishan’s Cohabs building has cubbies for each resident.
Valentina Duarte | CNBC Make It
“There’s so much shared amenities and space that you’re never really in each other’s way,” Abeysekera says. “And everyone has their own space in terms of their own room.”
Still, he admits that his current setup has “a lot of similarities” to living in a college dorm. But, he says, there’s one key difference: “Everyone’s a lot more respectful because they’re more of an adult and more mature.”
And just like some people you dorm with in college become friends for life, Abeysekera says he’s formed strong relationships with people he has met through Cohabs.
“Being here has really helped me build a community and make friends,” he says. “It’s really enriched my life.”
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