Share single bed ‘in shifts’: decision by 3 men to rent tiny furnished unit in Shanghai sparks cost-of-living debate

The three men will be sharing a space that is clearly designed for one person
They said they all work different shifts, which would allow them to take turns sharing the space and the single bed

Trending in China

Liya Suin Shanghai

Published: 2:00pm, 15 Oct 2022

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The cost of living in Chinese metropolises is under scrutiny again after a viral video documented the extreme measures three young men in Shanghai took to save money.

The unnamed men decided to share a tiny flat for 900 yuan (US$125) a month that only featured a toilet, a tiny bedroom and a balcony. It also has basic furnishing like a single bed, a wardrobe, a desk set and air conditioning.

According to the video, posted by Star Video, the three men worked at different times of the day, which they said would allow them to use the bed while the others were gone.

Three men inspect a tiny studio flat they plan on sharing. Photo: Baidu

Furthermore, the men negotiated with the agent to drop the rent by 100 yuan, despite it being an extremely cheap flat to begin with. The agent did not confirm any price change, but he said the rent of 1,000 yuan was very affordable already.

“We would take this if the rent decreased to 900 yuan,” one of the men told the agent.

“How will you share the bed?” The agent asked.

“It will be fine because we have different work shifts,” the man replied.

The man did not clarify what jobs they had, and the agent did not ask for more details. The agent however promised that he would talk with the landlord and ask for a rent discount.

The story of these three young men sparked a conversation in China, with many people pointing out the difficulty of their living situation.

One person online commented about the huge gap between wages for blue-collar workers and what they need to live, explaining how salaries are often 4,000 to 5,000 yuan (US$700) per month, making it hard to find places that do not cost a significant chunk of that salary.

“Our factories in small third-tier cities are operators that pay low wages,” the person said.

Shanghai is one of the wealthiest cities in all of China, but it is also an increasingly expensive place to live. Photo: EPA-EFE

In January this year, Oxfam found that China’s wealth gap had grown during the Covid-19 pandemic. Its report found that the poorer half of adults in China earn about 25,520 yuan (US$3,500) a year, while the richest 10 per cent earn 14 times that.

According to Chinese real estate information platform Anjuke, as of today, the average monthly rent for a unit in Shanghai touched 4,000 yuan (US$560).

In July 2021, the average salary for a full-time employee in the city was 10,338 (US$1,445) yuan per month.