Rent Is So High, New Yorkers Are Living with Nuns

- New York City's rental market is among the most expensive in the US, with median monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment often exceeding $3,500-$4,000, pushing many middle-class workers out of the market. - Religious orders (Catholic nuns, etc.) own buildings throughout NYC, often in desirable neighborhoods, that were historically used as convents. As the number of women entering religious life has sharply declined over decades, many of these properties now sit partially empty. - Some orders have begun renting out spare rooms to laypeople — typically women — at far below market rates (often $800-$1,200/month) in exchange for light community participation or simply to cover building costs. - This is not a formal program but a patchwork of local arrangements. It reflects both the crisis in housing affordability and the shrinking footprint of religious institutions in American cities.