This $1,200 Tiny NYC Apartment Doesn’t Have a Bathroom … or Kitchen

If you expect a rental to come with the basic necessities (like, say, a kitchen and a bathroom), think again — at least, as far as this New York City apartment is concerned. In a Reel first posted to Instagram by Omer Labock on Feb. 17, the listings agent shows off an apartment that’s just a single room large enough to fit a twin bed … and that’s it.

No bathroom, no kitchen, not even a countertop with a microwave. There is a closet unit, though. So that’s something.

“This has to be the tiniest apartment in Manhattan,” Labock said in the now-viral post. “I cannot make this stuff up.”

The bathroom, which is located down the hall, includes a standard toilet, sink, and single shower, and is likely shared with several other similar units on the floor. No word on if there’s a full kitchen located anywhere in the building.

“For $1,200 a month, you can live in what’s basically a bedroom,” he said, adding, “It’s also the cheapest apartment,” in what people assume is a reference to the rest of the rentals in the building. For reference, average Manhattan rent prices for 2023, according to CNBC, hover around $4,400, so this technically is a steal at $1,200.

“Girl that’s smaller than my dorm room what the hell,” one person commented on Labock’s post. Another said, “1.2K is the cheapest?! And it’s that?”

“Bruh $1,200 is how much I pay for a place off the coast of Spain,” someone else added. “How did these building owners get away with this?” another person wrote.

This room can be classified as Single Residence Occupancy (SRO) housing, which is normally meant to house low-income adults. These types of housing units exist in many large cities across the United States, and have roots dating back to the late 19th century. Many times these rooms come furnished with basic pieces like a bed, desk, and chair (similar to a dorm), but that doesn’t seem to be the case in this situation. 

Labock didn’t provide any info as to where this apartment is located in Manhattan, nor did he classify it as an SRO. And while that would absolutely change people’s reactions to how the video has been marketed, it still doesn’t change the fact that $1,200 is no small price to pay.