A newly built, furnished one-bedroom ADU in Walnut Creek is listed for $3,250 a month with utilities and Wi-Fi included. But the listing also states, "If working from home additional $200 monthly."
The typical rent for a studio apartment in the Philadelphia area is $1,170, and the majority of Philadelphia's Gen Zers are spending at least 30% of their income on rent.
Every Wednesday Sophia Celentano flies from Charleston, South Carolina to Newark, New Jersey then takes an Uber to her job about 30 minutes away.
According to this year's Worldwide Cost of Living Index, released by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the average cost of living is up 8.1% in 2022, owing to the Russian war in Ukraine and the lingering effects of the pandemic.
Rents hit a record high in July for the 17th month in a row, putting ever more pressure on renters.
While the woman inside plans to move out eventually, she said she wasn't going to just "up and leave" and end up on the street.