Man shows around his 90-square-foot NYC apartment, and the internet says: ‘My cats litter box room is bigger than this’

The reality of living in New York City often involves making significant compromises, especially when you are trying to break into a competitive industry like musical theater. A man recently shared a video tour of his 90-square-foot apartment, providing a stark look at the extreme ends of the city housing market, Daily Dot reported.

The video, which has been making the rounds online, was reshared by X user @lalovestrump and highlights just how little space some people are willing to occupy to remain in the heart of the city. It is a tiny, cramped setup that feels more like a storage unit than a residence, but for this aspiring writer, it is the only way to be where he needs to be.

When you watch the tour, you realize that 90 square feet is barely enough to move around in. The man explains that the floor plan is just enough to accommodate a bunk bed frame, though he has removed the bottom bed to make room for a small couch and a shelf with cubbies. This furniture serves as his primary storage, which is honestly a bit difficult to wrap my head around.

Living out of cubbies is a major lifestyle shift for anyone used to a standard closet

Across from his sleeping and sitting area is what he refers to as his kitchen. It is an incredibly modest setup that includes a mini sink, a single cabinet, and a one-burner induction cooktop. He even added an LED strip light to the area to try and get a little mood lighting going on, which is a nice touch to make the space feel somewhat more like a home.

The tour continues to a small area designated for hanging clothes and an air conditioner that comes with a remote control. One of the most jarring parts of the video is his admission that there is no bathroom inside the unit. Instead, he explains that every floor has three bathrooms and that all the apartments on his floor share them.

This is quite a common arrangement in some older or converted buildings, but it is definitely not for everyone. Sharing bathroom facilities with neighbors is a level of communal living that many people would find challenging, but it is clearly part of the trade-off he has accepted.

He addresses his viewers directly during the tour by saying, “This is it, gang,” before diving into the personal motivations behind this living situation. As an aspiring musical theater writer, he feels it is essential to be located in the theater district. He wants to be right in the middle of the industry while he studies and works toward his career goals. However, this dream comes at a high personal cost.

He reveals that he has a wife and two children who are currently living in the same time zone but are a short flight away. The financial reality is that they simply could not afford a place that would comfortably house a family of four in New York City. He describes the situation by saying, “We couldn’t afford to find a place to fit our family of four. So this is a sacrifice that our whole family is making.”

Despite the physical distance and the cramped quarters, he insists that his wife is supportive of the move and has agreed to the arrangement. It is a massive sacrifice for the entire family to make, and it highlights the immense pressure people feel to be in specific locations for their professional development.

The video has sparked plenty of reactions from people online who find the size of the apartment to be hard to believe. One user, Charlie Gray, commented on the situation by writing, “My cats litter box room is bigger than this grown adults urban prison cell. Humans were never intended to live like this.”