Do Co-living and Co-working Live Up to the Hype?
In my article, “Is Co-living the Future of Housing?” I make my case for why I’m embracing the co-living movement and why people should consider it for themselves. I also touch on the significant peripheral business opportunities the model provides.
But, like everything else in life, there are some shortcomings. There’s nothing we humans like more than weighing the pros and cons, so let’s proceed. — Come explore the dark side of co-living with me.
Work-life Imbalance
There is such a thing as working too much. When your office is just down the hall, the lines get blurred quickly.
On one hand, it becomes very accessible to enter work mode and get shit done. On the other, I have learned from experience that it can be hard to shake the creeping sense of guilt of not working enough.
It becomes difficult to fight the urge to pop into the office on the weekend to get ahead on a project, put in extra hours, or to simply resist letting yourself work into the night without interruption, just because you’re there.
Dysfunctionality for People of Different Ages and Personality Types
There’s a valid argument that maybe co-living isn’t for everyone.
Could you be too old to comfortably live this lifestyle? Margaret Manning of Sixty and Me, a website for women over age 60, certainly doesn’t think so.
What if:
- You’re introverted?
- Married?
- Have a family? Planning to start one?
Is co-living still a viable option for people of all ages, demographics and stages in life?
Is diversity amongst residents the exception or the rule?
Proponents of co-living would likely argue the latter, but I’ve met plenty of people who’ve tried it and hated it or decline to consider it altogether. The jury is still out on what works and what doesn’t for each person.
These are all questions yet to be answered, but the exciting thing is, digital nomads can design their own answers and solutions.
Long-Term Impact Unknown
Co-living is still quite a new concept, and although promising, scientific research is scant regarding its effects on relationships, health & wellness, mental health, productivity, work-life balance, happiness and basically all facets of modern-day life.
Will we humans thrive or suffer in this model? It’s too soon to tell. We’re still in beta.
Questions Around Raising a Family
Depending on the type of community or layout of the building, it could be comparatively difficult or at least uncomfortable to raise a family in such an environment.
Of course, it might be better to have more privacy or space, yet city living, tiny eco homes and widespread poverty tell us it’s perfectly plausible for people to raise large families in small spaces. As the old adage goes, “it takes a village [to raise a child].”
Distinguishing Between Work, Social, and Private Lives
This is a genuine concern that I’ve experienced firsthand while living in different situations with roommates — in Roam Tokyo and traveling with other digital nomads with the Nomad Cruise.
I don’t yet have an exact solution, but it’s clear that humans need to decompress and recover from being “on” all the time, whether it’s working, networking, or socializing.
When everyone in the building knows each other, especially when there is a shared co-working space in the same complex, there’s nowhere to run or hide.
This can generate a nagging low level of anxiety that at any moment someone can knock on your door, invite you to hang out, or expect you at an event. It takes a certain amount of energy and willpower to turn people down — even more so in a co-living environment.
Roommates
While there is typically a selection of private or shared housing options in any co-living set-up, being matched with a roommate opens up another realm of possible conflict and problems — from personality clashes to sharing living expenses (and collecting on who owes what).
This also rolls over into potential dating drama with a close-knit network of people living on the same premises for an extended period of time. Romantic unions and breakups are inevitable. The fallout could be worse than it is from workplace relationships gone awry.
When Co-Living Costs More
In some cases, co-living solutions can cost more than their traditional counterparts — significantly more. Tenants may pay a premium for convenience, access to community, extra staffing, and especially profit margins for operators.
The monthly average rent in co-living establishments or co-working retreats such as Unsettled, Remote Year, and Roam can be higher than the average cost-of-living in the destination itself.
The cost of 1 month at co-living/co-working space Roam Bali in Ubud with a 10% long-term discount is $2,278.57. Meanwhile, you can find a short-term homestay for as low as $450/month, bringing your monthly cost-of-living in at less than $1,000.
The cost of 1 month at Unsettled in Peru starts at $3,200, while the local population lives on $500 per month. Expats can easily exist on $700–1,500/month. Ouch.
A single month on Remote Year will run you $2,500. Traveling to one of their destinations alone, such as Medellín or Chiang Mai, can be a fraction price (I’m talking as low as 1/4) for the same time period.
It’s up to each person whether the trade-off is worth it. There are many situations where it’s easier, more pleasant, more luxurious, or simply more fun to choose a co-living option over going it alone in a foreign country. But you won’t always save money.
Distractions
Co-living, when done correctly, offers potential for positive experiences and personal growth. On the flip side, it can create an outlet for continual distraction, socializing, drinking, and partying fueled by the structure of the immediate environment.
Noise Pollution
I’m a person who values peace and quiet, something which can be hard to come by in a co-living environment.
As a self-described “introverted extrovert” (ambivert?), in my own personal co-living experience, I quickly became adept at cooking and working during off-peak hours and disappearing on the weekends, sometimes just to maintain my own sanity.
Final Thoughts
While co-living and co-working certainly have potential as path to achieving the elusive work-life balance, there are still a lot of unanswered questions up for debate.
What do you think?
- What are the most and least appealing aspects of co-living in your opinion?
- Would you try co-living for yourself?
- Is co-living akin to living in college dorms, or is society coming full circle by going back to our tribal and communal roots?
- Do people who co-live and co-work have a competitive advantage in business due to enhanced networking opportunities across industries?
- Do those who co-live have more enriching personal lives since they ca strike up an elevated conversation while scrambling eggs?
- Will the co-living lifestyle turn out to be more invigorating or more exhausting than the current status quo?
Only time will tell if co-living is the housing equivalent of “Mr. Right” or just “Mr. Right Now.”
