Soaring rent prices across Toronto means many tenants are dealing with nightmare roommates, landlords, and tiny living spaces just to be able to afford a place to live. 

Just recently, the monthly average to rent a one-bedroom unit in Toronto climbed to nearly $2,500, leading tenants no choice but to resort to desperate measures in order to call a place home. 

TikTok creator @kitanamilan posted a video this week discussing some of the measures people are forced to take just to be able to pay rent. 

"If you live in Toronto you already know that rent is expensive as hell, and all of us are trying to find innovative ways to pretty much, afford to survive in this city," she says in the TikTok. 

“Partner up” to afford rent. But it is important to remember are many ppl out there in unhealthy or abusive relationships bc of the cost of soaring housing costs. pic.twitter.com/mYLIlwG2b0

— Justice_Queen 🏗🏙🚇⚖️ (@RE_MarketWatch) March 30, 2023

Apart from the old-fashioned option of getting a second job, Milan notes one other choice people are opting for in order to make rent. 

"Or you do what a lot of other people are doing, and you can just get into a relationship, a 'convenient' relationship so that you just have to cover half the f*cking rent," she explains. 

While Milan doesn't go into detail about what a 'convenient' relationship exactly entails, one can assume it's the type of relationship in which you're only there for the safety blanket it offers you, whether it'd be for practical, emotional, or in this case, financial reasons. 

I've known a few people in not great/not healthy relationships to stay partly because they would end up on the street if they broke up.

— Maggie #BlackLivesMatter #FreePalestine (@disabilityharpy) March 30, 2023

Some person suggested that you don't have to stay in a "convenient" relationship at all, and that finding a friendly roommate might be a better solution. 

How bout a roommate? Seems less complicated

— Kevin Forsyth (@KevinF_1988_) March 31, 2023

One person shared that they even chose to live with as many as six other people in order to grapple with the cost of living in Toronto. 

Are roommates a thing of the past? I remember living with as many as 6 others in order to afford the rent. We jammed people into the laundry room. No one’s dignity was damaged; in fact, we had a blast and that’s just the way it was.

— brian Dagenais (@dagenais_brian) March 31, 2023

Despite this, some people in the city continue to "partner up" to share the cost of everyday living, which just goes to show how out-of-reach prices are the city. 

However, it's important to note that despite the rising cost of living, you should never stay in a relationship that brings you immense stress or threatens your safety in any way.