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Pod Living: What It Is and Why It’s Booming
Rent has gotten really expensive over the years. And with fewer affordable options in many major U.S. cities, some renters are looking for alternate housing solutions. Enter pod living, an approach to affordable housing that’s been gathering a lot of interest across the country—at least among those who don’t mind sharing their bedroom with a dozen or so other people.
So what is pod living, and why is it becoming more popular? Let’s dig in.
What Is Pod Living?
Pod shares are co-living spaces where individuals rent a bed (usually a bunkbed) in a shared room, with access to other community spaces like a bathroom and kitchen. Think of pod living like a glorified hostel, optimally situated within high priced cities to offer renters not just more affordable rents but the opportunity to enjoy a unique communal environment.
To understand the appeal of pod living, it helps to start with the price. In San Francisco, which boasts the priciest rental market in the nation, the average cost for a one bedroom apartment right now is a lofty $3,360 a month—and that’s after a historic three year decline.
Now compare that to the price of a pod rental with Podshare—a Southern California startup that launched in Los Angeles in 2012—where renters can live in San Francisco for just $1,200 a month. In addition to its prime location, the four-story Podshare house in San Francisco comes complete with a sun deck, free laundry, free house cleaning, a gated entryway, and big screen TVs for each bed, among other perks.
For people willing to sacrifice a bit on their privacy, pod living offers a unique and affordable way to rent in pricey cities without an exorbitant price tag. But it’s not the only thing that many pod renters are after.
Pod Living Benefits
Affordable rents are a big draw to pod share spaces, and understandably so. Aside from that though, there are other benefits helping to increase interest in pod living. For starters, pod rentals like those offered by Podshare don’t require move-in fees or security deposits, and utility costs are included. All of those costs can be prohibitive when it comes to affording housing in urban areas (utility costs alone tend to cost renters an extra $1,200 to $1,800 a year), and that’s even before you get to furnishing the space. Podshare doesn’t require proof of income either—another barrier that can stand in the way of securing a rental.
There is also the appeal of co-living itself. In a Hollywood pod living space called Eddy, where the priciest beds are $945 a month, renters told the Los Angeles Times that they like the opportunity to live among like-minded individuals, sharing ideas, space, and their company. Other notable perks for Eddy’s residents include free high-speed internet and cable, free use of computers in the shared workspace, free fitness classes, and on-site activities.
While it hasn’t quite gone mainstream yet (understandably, many renters feel they’ve outgrown dorm-style living by the time they’re ready to live on their own), pod living provides a real opportunity for those whose lifestyles match up with their premise. And if it means getting to live in a city that would otherwise be cost prohibitive, some of the trade-offs start to seem a bit easier to overlook.
The core demographic for pod living tends to be single people in their 20s and 30s. Generally, these renters are working but are either early on in their careers or pursuing careers where it’s difficult to make a sustainable living. In Hollywood’s Eddy, for example, many of the renters are pursuing careers in the arts, such as acting and filmmaking.
If all of this sounds familiar, it’s probably because co-living itself is nothing new. Communes and co-ops have been popular among subsets of the older generations for decades, and for similar reasons: affordability and community. Still, today’s pod living upstarts are pretty skewed toward millennials, who are eager to live and work in major cities but don’t always have the funds to do so. For this generation, pod living presents a good alternative to other trending options—particularly moving back in with your parents.
Cities Offering Pod Living
Pod living tends to be centered in cities, and especially those with lofty rental markets. They don’t always look the same from city to city, though. The rent-a-bed pod shares highlighted above are common in California cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Santa Monica, while in Chicago, where the average rent price isn’t quite as obscene, pod living tends to be centered around private studios within larger shared suites—plus the free laundry, house cleaning, and utilities that make all pod shares an attractive deal.
In New York City, the pod living trend has tended to skew toward “micro-apartments,” which offer a private space in a desirable location for those who can fit all of their things into about 250 square feet or less. While there’s no sharing per se, the micro-apartments are in line with a general acknowledgment that, for many young people, space is less of an issue than location.
As interest is growing, expect to see pod living popping up in many more cities. X Living, a pod share community run by major real estate developer Property Markets Group (PMG), has plans to open up pod living houses in Houston, Denver, and Oakland in 2021 and 2022.
Is a Pod Rental Right For You?
That depends! There are definitely both big benefits and big drawbacks to the pod life, and it’s certainly not for everybody. But if you like the idea of affordable rent in a non-affordable city (plus a lot of free perks) and you don’t mind giving up your privacy to get it, then pod living could be your best bet.
Many pod shares rent their beds by the night in addition to renting them by the month, so if you’re considering pod living but aren’t sure yet if you want to take the leap, consider doing a trial run and seeing how you like it. You’ll get to test drive both the experience and the community, and you’ll also be able to talk to people who are already all-in and ask them if they’d recommend it.
Renting an apartment—whether it’s a two-bedroom just for yourself or a bunkbed in a shared bedroom—is never a decision you should rush. Take your time and do some research to figure out if pod living is a good choice for you. And if it is, rest easy knowing that there are some good options out there, and more to come.