NEED TO KNOW
Katherine Steelman, 31, compared her spacious Manhattan one-bedroom with her boyfriend’s tiny studio, even though they each pay about $3,000 a month in rent
The apartments are just four blocks apart, but Steelman says one key difference explains why they look nothing alike
The couple has since moved into Steelman’s apartment together, allowing them to save for their future while holding onto what she calls a “not-so-small miracle”
For Katherine Steelman, apartment hunting in Manhattan wasn’t just about finding a place to live; it also happened to be the backdrop for meeting the man she’d eventually build a home with.
In a TikTok that quickly captured millions of views, the 31-year-old walked viewers through her spacious one-bedroom apartment before heading just four blocks away to tour her boyfriend’s studio.
The surprise wasn’t just how different the homes looked, but that Steelman and her boyfriend each paid about $3,000 a month in rent, a figure that sits below the average monthly rent for a one-bedroom in Manhattan, which Apartments.com estimates at $4,191. Today, the couple has officially moved into Steelman’s apartment together.
The contrast came as a shock even to Steelman. She says she and her boyfriend were both apartment hunting when they went on their first date, spending most of the evening swapping stories about brokers, neighborhoods and apartment amenities.
“I had just signed my lease, and he had viewed his new apartment that day,” Steelman tells PEOPLE. “We joked about how small his place would be, but both agreed it was his New York rite of passage to live in the smallest apartment possible.”
“It wasn’t until we were more comfortable with each other that we both shared our rent numbers, and I couldn’t believe we paid nearly the same amount,” she continues. “His whole apartment could almost fit in my living room!”
While many viewers assumed $3,000 would guarantee a spacious apartment in New York City, Steelman says the reality is far more complicated. She stumbled across her apartment during an early-morning scroll through StreetEasy after a night out and immediately realized it was something special.
Katherine’s boyfriend’s living area
Credit: Katherine Steelman
“It had everything I wanted. It felt like I didn’t have to compromise at all,” she says. “After 13 years in New York, this felt like a not-so-small miracle.”
Her boyfriend’s search looked very different. He found his apartment through a Facebook connection with a broker, avoiding a broker fee but sacrificing amenities many New Yorkers hope for, including a doorman, elevator and in-unit laundry. Steelman also notes that one important detail many viewers didn’t realize is that her apartment is rent-stabilized, while his was not.
The apartments also reflected where each of them was in life. Steelman says she works remotely and has spent years turning her apartment into an artsy, carefully curated space, while her boyfriend had only recently moved to New York and primarily needed a practical place to come home to after long days at the office.
“After 13 years in New York City, my apartment feels like the place where I can finally put down roots,” she says. “His apartment was perfect for where he was in life. He had just moved to New York, so there were still a lot of unknowns, and, of course, he had no idea he was about to meet me.”
After posting the apartment comparison online, Steelman was surprised by how many people assumed her larger apartment couldn’t possibly be in Manhattan. Others guessed she must have sacrificed location for space, while her boyfriend’s studio had to be in a more desirable neighborhood.
Katherine Steelman’s dining area
Credit: Katherine Steelman
“But as I mentioned in my video, we actually live just four blocks away from each other,” she says. “I don’t share my exact neighborhood publicly for privacy reasons, but we both live in Manhattan in a very central location that we feel incredibly lucky to live in.”
The couple made their decision shortly after. Rather than searching for a brand-new place together, her boyfriend moved into Steelman’s apartment last week, allowing them to hold onto the lease she still considers one of the luckiest finds of her life.
“I would love to keep it forever, if I can!” she says. “Sharing this apartment also allows us to save for our future together, which is a huge benefit.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Looking back, Steelman believes finding a New York apartment often comes down to preparation as much as luck. She kept pay stubs, employment documents and bank statements saved in an email draft so she could immediately send everything to the broker once she knew she wanted the apartment, helping her become the first applicant in line.
“I really think being prepared is one of the biggest reasons I was able to get the apartment,” she says, adding that timing also worked in their favor. “Both of us happened to find our apartments in the winter, when there tends to be more availability and less competition than during the busy summer months.”
Read the original article on People