Living
NYC Rent Plunge Lets Budget-Minded Roommates Finally Live Alone
- Covid exodus pushes studio rents to lowest in almost a decade
- Young New Yorkers seeking solitary spaces after doubling up
Photographer: Lisa Blue/Getty Images
This article is for subscribers only.
In pricey Manhattan, having a roommate or two is a traditional rite of passage. Now, as the city empties out and rents plummet in the Covid-19 era, even recent college graduates are finding they can afford to live solo.
Studio apartment rents are the lowest in nearly a decade, and the borough’s youngest workers are taking notice. Forced indoors by the pandemic, to cramped spaces once used only for sleeping and showering, entry-level renters are on the move to decouple.