At 78 square feet, it’s the smallest apartment freelance designer Luke Clark Tyler has ever lived in, but not by much.

His previous apartment was just 96 square feet. Both were in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood of midtown Manhattan, one of the most expensive areas in the world to live in.

And he pays a pretty penny for it as well – $800/month. That’s twice as expensive as most other places in the neighborhood that run roughly $72/square foot. Tyler pays $123.07/square foot.

Then again, the average studio apartment in the neighborhood runs about $1,900. Finding anything, no matter how small, for $800 is exceedingly rare.

Mark Menendez, the director of rentals at Prudential Douglas Elliman, doesn’t think he’s getting a good deal, but he does admit he’s getting a unique one:

“I think it’s too high. But again, it’s all relative. Where can you find something for $800 in Manhattan? Location trumps value,” he said.

And it’s not about money anyway for the young designer – he makes plenty. He has a good job and could afford a bigger place if he wanted one, but he doesn’t.

Like many people who are drawn to the “tiny house” movement, life is more about experiences than surrounding oneself with possessions to Tyler. He used to spend all day inside buildings and underground and hardly ever got a chance to enjoy the exciting city he lives in.

Now, he works largely from home, meaning it’s nice to get out when he’s not on the clock.

Without the draw of just sitting around in his apartment in his free time, he now has a bunch of extra money to spend on doing things in the city that never sleeps.

“I was spending my life in a skyscraper and going underground, to work, and then back again. I was missing out on anything New York had to offer. If I had to choose spending time on a train or living in a small space, I’d choose a small space.”

As a single guy, he just doesn’t need the space, but he knows he does need the experiences.

“I just rather use that extra $800 to do something else, like take classes or enjoy the city.”

When it came time to furnish the apartment, he spent a mere $200 on custom furniture, including a couch that folds down into a bed and extra storage space built into the closet.

The main drawback is that he shares a bathroom (though it’s very nice!) with three other tenants. But what he really misses is having a sink.

“A sink is really great. My last apartment had a sink; it was just awesome.”

The building he lives in is mostly used by short-term renters and visitors to the city – he’s the only real permanent resident.

And just how did he find the unique space? None other than Craigslist.

“I think it [the ad] called it a studio, which, I don’t know if it qualifies as a studio,” he joked.

He didn’t find out how small the space was until he got there. But that clearly didn’t deter him – it simply made him decide what he really needed in his life and what he didn’t need to keep around.

Little tricks like a foldable bed and a mirror to “deepen” the space so he’s not always staring at a wall help him feel more at home.

Still, his clothes hang above the microwave in a tiny closet space that also holds toiletries and his printer.

But that’s just a sacrifice he’s willing to make for the time being.

Be sure to scroll down below for a (very short) tour of the tiny 78-square-foot apartment.

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Source: SPACEStv via YouTube, NBC News