NYU’s prices are almost as famous as its rigorous academic standards. This should come as no surprise as it is located in one of the most expensive cities in the world. Students who live on campus pay about $78,440 a year for tuition and living at the university, and that’s not even counting daily living expenses—that $7 for an iced coffee and a bodega snack adds up faster than you think. So what happens when students want to exchange their dorm and XL double bed for their own off-campus apartment?
Rents in New York have skyrocketed over the past year. The age-old question of whether it is cheaper to live in a hostel or to rent is relevant again. The average rate for an apartment in Manhattan is more than 18% higher than it was just a year ago – if you can even get an apartment. There are lists fly out of the market within minutes of being published online.
Influencer Caleb Simpson is no stranger to New York’s budget efficiency. He has been living in the city for seven years, he posted a video YouTube and TikTok just as long. He is best known for his “New York City Apartment Tours,,” in which he asks strangers on the street to show him their apartments — a series he called “the MTV cheat sheet of this generation.” What started as a light-hearted series quickly turned into a discussion about the inequality of wealth in the city.
Simpson visited large and small apartments, from a tiny studio without bathroom to a a giant loft with a Doctor Strange window.. I sat down with him to ask him about the series and his advice for anyone currently looking for an apartment.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
WSN: How did your “NYC Apartment Tours” series begin? What was the thought process behind that?
Simpson: I was building a startup just working from home and not interacting with people. I longed for more human interaction. I was also looking at what was working online at the time and I saw these three interviews and they were “How much do you pay for rent, what do you do for a living and what’s the most expensive thing about your apartment?”
I thought, “What if I ask them to come to their apartment?” No one would ask to do that, and would they say yes? It was like killing two birds with one stone. First, I wanted to connect with people, and second, it could go very viral.
WSN: Now that the series has become more popular, is it easier for you to get into apartments?
Simpson: Probably. The first day I went out and did it, pretty much everyone said no because I didn’t have any proof of concept yet. It’s a lot easier to be able to show somebody, like, “Hey, this is what I did, and this is what’s going to happen.” Everyone’s seen the series now, so it’s a lot easier to just ask, “Have you seen these videos?” This is very useful for the series.
WSN: How has your understanding of the wealth disparity in the city changed as you visit more of these apartments?
Simpson: I don’t think that has changed at all. I think I just have more respect for how New Yorkers can adapt and thrive in New York’s changing climate – what they’re willing to put up with and how to use space creatively.
WSN: Why do you think rents are so high now? Do you see any patterns?
Simpson: Rents in New York have always been high. I feel like that’s the thing that everybody always forgets—it was high when I moved here seven years ago, and it’s still high. It’s still hard to live in New York, and it’s always going to be hard to live in New York, so I personally try not to think of New York as “The rent is so high, it’s so hard to live here,” because it always has been. . It shouldn’t hold you back, because it always has.
WSN: How did New Yorkers renovate the space and make the most of their money?
Simpson: This is a great question. Some people are extremely thrifty—they find things in the trash when they don’t even need them because they think it’s more fun and they don’t want to spend money or contribute to buying more stuff.
Some of the apartments I’ve seen people do look nicer than other people’s apartments. In New York, it’s pretty easy to recycle beautiful things because people don’t want to move things. They’ll have a $5,000 couch and they just say, “I don’t want to deal with moving this, so if you come pick it up, I’ll give it to you for free.”
If you’re willing to put up with it, you can decorate your apartment quite nicely.
WSN: A big challenge for the NYU community right now is finding off-campus housing because rents within the campus radius have skyrocketed even more than anywhere else. Would you recommend putting up with it, or are there different areas that you think would be easier to live in?
Simpson: This is a difficult question. Life in New York, especially at NYU, is always there. I lived down there. If you’re an NYU student, you simply won’t find anything affordable near campus—you’ll have to make some sacrifices. If you want cheaper rent, live further away in Brooklyn or live in Queens – maybe even live downtown because the rent seems to be a little cheaper there. You can always give and take. Even if you’re the richest person in New York, there’s always give and take.
WSN: Do you have any advice for students who are struggling to find off-campus housing?
Simpson: A practical tip is to find a roommate or other students who want to live off campus and don’t be afraid to be further away. If saving money is the primary goal, don’t see it as a negative. You will have a completely new experience in a completely new area, and it will be completely different from all the others, but it will contribute to your life in some way. It’s all about thinking. You can still do everything, but you will have to live somewhere else.
WSN: You’ve obviously been in the tiniest of tiniest apartments, as well as huge lofts and penthouses. What are the biggest differences between people you meet who have these huge lofts versus small closets? Can you tell when you approach them or is it just a gamble?
Simpson: You can’t judge someone based on how they look or how they walk. If I ask people on the street, I just shoot back. I just ask, ask, ask because you never know what someone’s situation is.
WSN: Do you have a favorite apartment?
Simpson: There are so many unique apartments that I’ve been in and they’ve been really cool, but the one that stands out the most – which I think stands out the most to everyone – is Sports Illustrated model’s apartment. It was crazy. It was the biggest I’ve been to. Anyone wouldn’t want, wouldn’t want to live there, you know?
