In a city of dreams, living space is often sacrificed for the opportunity to call The Big Apple home. While Manhattan apartment hunting usually focuses on the mystique of finding ample apartment space in a crowded, overdeveloped city, some renters are not as size-focused and worry more about things like location. Think your apartment is small?
Here are some of the smallest spaces that renters call home.
55 Square Feet in Hell’s Kitchen
Giving up space in one of the city’s most “happening” neighborhoods, as perhaps a Midwest transplant to be a Midwest Manhattanite, seems feasible. Why waste your hard-earned money on exorbitant rent when 55 square feet in the center of it all is possible. But how much compromise is too much? At about $800/month, the city is your playground (though your apartment is technically a closet).
90 Square Feet in Upper West Side
In 12 by 7 living quarters, words like “loft bed” and “hot plate” refer to the expanse of your décor. While some would easily call this apartment claustrophobic, it takes that special tenant to call it “cozy.” The trade-off: the Upper West Side is known for amazing Central Park views and an affluent residential population. So next time you are asked “did you finally find an apartment,” you can proudly mention the Upper West Side, and leave out that you can only sit on your toilet sideways and that your loft bed leaves about three inches between the ceiling and your face.
105 Square Feet in Greenwich Village
Finally, we move on to apartments over 100 square feet. The plus is the tenant only pays about $800 per month to live in the very cool Greenwich Village. It could work for the open-minded minimalist. Thanks to more options on furniture that fit into small spaces, or that can double as storage or have dual purposes, Greenwich Village can be your lower Manhattan oasis for a fraction of what people are renting with skyrocketing apartment prices in that same area.
These prices could very well rent a mansion just outside Atlanta, or pay a mortgage in middle America, but as always, it is about location, location, location! Only a true New Yorker would be shocked knowing someone pays less than $1,000 per month rent for space on the Upper West Side or Greenwich Village.
Consider how much space is truly necessary in your ideal location. If you have a small apartment and are asked where you live, no need to break down square footage or complain about not fitting in your own shower, simply reply “I live in New York City” with enthusiasm! Interested in different Manhattan neighbors? Get help from a Platinum agent finding the perfect size apartment, on the correct budget, and in the ideal location for you!
