--- title: "A Startup Is Renting Tiny Bay Area “Pods” for $800 Per Month" description: "Bay Area startup Brownstone Shared Housing is offering a miniature bunk bed pod for $800 a month, in a space you'll also have to share with 13 others." date: "2022-05-12" modified: "2022-05-12" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/startup-renting-bay-area-pods" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "affordable housing" - "pod" - "the digest" --- # A Startup Is Renting Tiny Bay Area “Pods” for $800 Per Month ![Bay Area startup Brownstone Shared Housing is offering a miniature bunk bed pod for $800 a month, in a space you'll also have to share with 13 others.]() *\Image: Brownstone Shared Housing\* ## Bunko Pop It's no secret that housing in the Bay Area is beyond unaffordable right now, and companies are on a race to the bottom by offering up the smallest conceivable spaces for still-considerably-steep rent. For instance, local startup Brownstone Shared Housing is now offering miniature bunk bed pods for $800 a month, in a space you'll also have to share with 13 other roommates, [*Insider* reports](). On [its website](), the company claims the tiny pods are "the future of shared housing," boasting that each pod features "40 percent more space than bunk beds." In short, it's an extremely expensive prison cell — albeit one with WiFi and electrical outlets. ## Pod Life All things considered, that's not a lot cheaper per square foot than the far more conventional option of living in a, well, normal apartment. An average studio apartment costs around $2,400 in the area. Yet Brownstone Shared Housing cofounder Christina Lennox says a tiny pod is all people need. To show her dedication to her business, she chose to live in a pod by herself for the past year, according to *Insider*. "The wood kind of allows for relaxation, rather than like going inside of this futuristic-looking plastic object," Lennox told *Insider*. "It has, like, definitely a different feel — I would say that it's more calming and soothing for people." ## Housing Crisis The company squished 14 pods into a single family, three-bedroom house, the ultimate and depressing outcome of the housing crisis the tech metropolis is experiencing right now. According to the latest stats, there simply [isn't any affordable housing available]() for the vast majority of low income households in the Bay Area. Users on the Antiwork subreddit [were quick to point]() out that tiny pods aren't a great solution, either. "I've lived like that... on a warship," one user wrote. "That's not a home." "This is 'convincing a mouse that a mouse trap is free real estate' level of malignant," another argued. **READ MORE:** [See what it's like to live in one of the compact sleep pods that allow 14 residents to share a single home in California]() \[*Insider*\] **More on San Francisco:** *[Young People Are Choosing to Live in “Pods” Instead of Apartments]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()