This 28-Year-Old Spends $3,200 On Rent For A Studio, And It's Only Going Up — Here's What She Makes And What's Next
This post is part of a series to be more transparent with housing costs and pay in America. If you'd like to make the topic of money and housing a little less taboo, consider filling out this form to be featured.
Housing costs, rent costs, salaries, and pay — we all have one or the other, but rarely do we share them amongst one another. Yet in an ever-inflating housing market, rental market, and everything market (are your grocery bills also out of control?!), we could all use a little more transparency.
And look, I get why we don't share these things — money is one of those topics we were taught not to disclose. Maybe it's from employers who told you not to discuss pay with each other (it's definitely happened to me), maybe it's shame, to avoid comparison, to protect your image, your assets, or maybe even avoid being obnoxious. I get it, there are valid reasons, but sometimes, wouldn't it be easier if we knew?
So, let's start slowly. We're starting a housing and money transparency series where we showcase people's homes, how much they pay for said home, how much they make, and any other interesting details (like their neat rock collection, the most precious thing in their home, the most expensive thing in their home, and, most importantly — their stories).
This week, we're featuring Kaitlin (Kait) Murray, a 28-year-old who rents a studio in Boston. Let's start with the basics:
Age? 28
Pronouns? She/Her
Location? Boston, Massachusetts, but originally from Kentucky. Specifically living in the Seaport/Fort Point neighborhood in Boston.
Occupation? Self-employed in the marketing and brand strategy space, dog-sitter, previously worked full-time at TikTok.
Own or rent? Rent
Rent cost? $3,200/mo
Roommates? "Just me, myself, and I!"
Utilities cost? "Our building covers water, but I pay for electricity and Wi-Fi. My electric bill is about $35 a month, and I pay $60 a month for Starry Wi-Fi."
TOTAL: $3,295
Salary? $130k in last full-time job with TikTok, including base salary and bonuses. She’s currently living on an emergency fund and side jobs.
Other streams of income? "Truthfully, that [$130k] wasn't enough to live where I live and fully enjoy myself, so I started dog-sitting multiple times a week/month. Sometimes, I'd make an extra $1,500–$2,000 a month just by doing that! I also post on TikTok and have gotten a few small checks from things like my Amazon storefront, but nothing big. My parents own a company called Murray Promotions, and I've been able to do a few freelance projects for them over the last couple of months, on top of a few small client projects."
"Full transparency, though, I have been living on my emergency fund, for the most part, these past couple of months, and I want people to know that if you have a period of your life where you have to do that, that's okay! Consider yourself blessed if you have an emergency fund — shift your perspective."
# Beds/baths/floors? "I live in a studio. One bathroom. In-unit laundry, luxury appliances, etc."
Square footage? 450 sq. ft.
Amenities? A roof deck complete with grills, a pool, comfortable outdoor furniture, a luxury gym, four different co-working spaces, a movie theater, a chef's kitchen/event space, and two guest suites that you can rent for about $200 a night if you have visitors in town.
Favorite amenity? "The cold brew on tap. My girl math tells me I'm saving about $14/day by drinking that coffee vs. buying coffee out. But truthfully, the best amenity of all that you can't really put a price on is the community — there are people from all over the world — from all walks of life, careers, relationship statuses, ages, etc. It's been one of the best experiences of my life. Being single and moving across the country to a city where I didn't know a soul, I never expected to meet some of my best friends and biggest mentors in a random apartment building, but I did. It's going to be extremely hard to walk away from."
Ok, got all the background? Now let's get into the pad — this is what Kait sees when she first walks in through the door. Pretty nice, eh?
@kaitmurray_ / Via tiktok.com
Here's her bathroom, and how she maximized storage space:
Kait said, "The storage is absolutely horrendous. I got that shelf from Ikea, some shelves from Amazon, and then I turned this little stand into a basket holder."
Here's her kitchen area, which she completed with this island to create more counter space:
"This island didn't come with the place. I got it on Amazon, but it's kinda a dupe for the Crate & Barrel one that's, like, $2,000," Kait said.
And here's the rest of her kitchen, sans island:
@kaitmurray_ / Via tiktok.com
Next, her bed-"room," which is not really a room, and is kinda-sorta part of the kitchen:
"Most people would think it's kinda weird to have your bed in the kitchen, but you have no option when you're in a tiny space like this," Kait said.
And here's the view from her bed (and another view of the kitchen):
She makes the most of it, though! Her dad helped her mount her TV so she could swing it out and watch it in bed:
After Kait's kitchen-bedroom area, you enter her living room, complete with this lovely fireside TV, storage table, coffee, and bar:
...and the dining "room":
"I wanted to have a dining room, but also a hangout spot... You can take the benches and pull them out like ottomans for the couch," Kait said.
...and office:
@kaitmurray_ / Via tiktok.com
Kait said, "This is my least favorite spot. I quit my corporate job, and this is kinda giving me bad vibes."
It's like a three-room-in-one setup...maybe even four? The couch pulls out to a bed (guest bedroom?):
She also has a very pretty bookshelf and a big selfie mirror spot (which probably helps open the room up!):
@kaitmurray_ / Via tiktok.com
Ok, now some fun stuff!
"I really don’t own a ton of expensive things. I’ve never bought anything designer, per se. I believe it’s my bed. I treated myself to it for my 27th birthday from Crate & Barrel, and it is my entire personality. I believe it was $2,000."
"The thing I’d save in a fire would be my box of letters that my family and friends surprised me with when I decided to buy a one-way ticket and move across the country to Boston. I read them just about every week," Kait said.
@kaitmurray_ / Via tiktok.com
In her video tour, she said, "My favorite spot in my whole apartment is this letter wall. When I moved here, I bought a one-way flight and literally sold everything I owned. My parents came up a couple days letter to help me get a U-Haul. I went out and bought all my furniture, and when I went to bed after they left, I kicked something, and it was a box of all of these letters from my parents, siblings, and family. I read them when I'm having a homesick kinda day."
"I picked the space because it was the cheapest option I had found in the neighborhood that I wanted to be in. I chose the building because it seemed the most friendly when it came to meeting people. I craved community AND just wanted to make sure I met as many people as possible during my time in Boston! I highly recommend an apartment complex with lots of common spaces if you're looking to uproot to a city where you don't know anyone."
Overall, Kait said, "This space is perfect for one person. Obviously, I wish I had more space sometimes, but we do what we can with it." She also reminded people that while she could afford to live here with her old job, it was still a stretch, and she sacrificed some finances for a nicer place to live and community.
And, if you're still hung up on how the hell she's spending over $3,000 for a studio, let's take it back a bit. When Kait moved from Louisville to Boston, she signed on at $2,650.
She told BuzzFeed, "At the time, I knew that was crazy, but I also knew that I was okay with sacrificing if it meant I would meet more people by living in a big building vs. a walk-up. I also sold my car, so being in a walkable area was important to me. I figured I would do it for a year, make some friends, and move on."
When May 2022 rolled around, Kait's leasing office hit her with an increase to $2,900. Because Kait loved the community she found in the building, she decided to stay, and that's when she took up dog-sitting to make a little extra money each month.
Then, when May 2023 hit, her leasing office taped another lease renewal to her door... This time? $3,200. Kait said, "'One more year, soak it up and move on. Pick up more dog-sitting opportunities if you love it this much.' That's what I told myself, and I re-signed."
@kaitmurray_ / Via tiktok.com
Kait told BuzzFeed, "Looking back, I do regret re-signing from a financial standpoint. However, 2023 ended up being one of the most confusing, mentally challenging, draining, and weird years of my life, so in a sense, I am very glad I made the decision to stay and be surrounded by my incredible neighbors and friends. Seeing familiar faces in the lobby, elevators, and common spaces is something that truly saved me, and I'll miss the most when I leave the building."
According to RentHop, the average studio costs $3,149 in Boston's Seaport District. The average studio in Boston costs $2,720, so the Seaport is considerably more expensive (but Boston is still costly overall). Rents have risen tremendously in the Seaport area in the past three years. There's been a 49.61% increase in the median rent for studios from 2021 to 2024 (from $2,273 to $3,400).
So, while hearing about a $3k+ monthly rent for a studio is WILD, it's not uncommon in Boston's Seaport, a very expensive area to live in a big city. Kait's rent increases have been somewhat on par with the median in the area (which doesn't necessarily justify the increase — it just speaks to a bigger problem of rising rents).
In one video, Kait said, "It's one of the nicest areas in Boston. I understand that. I live in a high-rise, yes. It's a luxury building, but it doesn't justify what they're asking for, in my opinion." In another video, Kait added, "There's a major, major issue with price gauging. Your rent should not increase by almost $1,000 over three years."
And now? Well, Kait's leasing office sent her a new rent increase notice — and this time, it's $3,444.
tiktok.com / Via tiktok.com, tiktok.com
Kait said, "I did a little quick girl math on this, and that means that I would basically be paying to be staying in a $120/night hotel every single night for the next year. I love Boston, but it's not New York. This is insane."
So, Kait's moving out. She told BuzzFeed, "I just can’t handle it anymore. Even if I was making well over $200k a year, it just isn’t a smart move to keep spending this much on rent at my age."
@kaitmurray_ / Via tiktok.com
In another video, Kait also explained that the leasing office won't budge on negotiations, and it would be $11,500 to walk away from her lease, which ends in mid-June. "You have to give a 60-day notice, and then you have to pay two months after that 60th day, so it's basically four months rent."
"At this point, I don't want to up and leave Boston. I'd rather just finish out my lease, so I'm going to get a serving job; I'm so grateful I have some projects for my family's business, and I'm also working on a couple of freelance projects. The salaries here in Boston, if you work in marketing, unless I'm looking in the wrong places, they don't pay enough to live alone."
She continued, "Also, I turn 29 in September, and I just really don't want to have a roommate, but the US is in shambles right now, and I see so many people moving back in with parents, moving back in with roommates, and it's just sad. As much as I love my friends...I don't want to have to do that. But honestly, single people, I feel like we aren't gonna have a choice in the next couple years."
As for what's next, Kait told BuzzFeed, "If I find a good, fulfilling job in Boston before my time is up here, I’ll move in with a roommate that I have lined up. We will be in a building again — we love the community aspect. Our goal is to stay under $4,200–$4,500, then split down the middle. (So $2,100–$2,250/person.)"
She told BuzzFeed, "Part of me feels anxious sharing my story because I know cost-of-living, the job market, the economy, etc. are in shambles. I realize how blessed I am to be able to have lived the life I have had for the last three years."
"However, [as I've been] openly talking about how lost I have felt lately, the struggles of being 28 and trying to remain independent while also feeling incredibly lonely sometimes, navigating my purpose and what I want to do with my career [in my videos], I've received a lot of comments from people of ALL ages discussing similar situations and expressing how much it's resonated with them," Kait said.
She continued, "I guess the message I want to leave is just that it's okay to feel lost, it's okay to make mistakes, it's okay to ask for help if you've dug yourself into a hole or if you're battling any sort of mental health issues. There truly is no such thing as a wrong decision or rejection, only redirection."
"You don't have to have it all figured out; you can try new things, explore, move, break up, blow your savings, make new friends, quit your job, switch career paths… If we knew exactly how things would play out, life would be extremely boring. You are not alone, and whatever choice you make, just know it's for a reason! You got this."
That's it from Kait! Round of applause to her for being transparent about salary and rent (love to see it), opening up about her story overall, and reminding people they are not alone in life's crossroads. 👏
If you like this series and are on board with more salary, rent, and housing transparency, consider filling out this form to be featured. Whether you have an average apartment, a designer pad, or an Amazon tiny home, we wanna see real people's places and hear their stories. So consider sending in — can't wait to hear from ya!
