Registered nurse Arslan Shono lives in his 2014 Chevy Suburban, not because he can’t afford rent, but because he doesn’t want to pay the rising rates.
It’s not the first vehicle the health care worker has converted into a mobile dwelling, but it might be his most advanced.
From showering at Planet Fitness to harnessing solar power, it’s a unique lifestyle that costs him only $918 a month. It comes with other perks, too, like sleeping in on workdays because he lives in the hospital parking lot.
But the nurse’s main motivator for his cost-friendly lifestyle ultimately came down to rising rent fees.
“My name is Arslan and I’ve been living in vehicles for the past few years,” he said on YouTube. “My journey of alternative living began after I was fed up with the high cost of rent in the United States. I fell in love with the idea of living on the road, so over the years, I converted a sprinter van, a Camaro and most recently been living in my 2014 chevy suburban camper car.”
According to a February 2024 Nerdwallet report, the average rent in the U.S. was $1,958 a month in January. Rent prices have been up year over year in 47 of the 50 largest metro areas in the country, reaching as high as an annual increase of 7.7% in Providence, R.I. Renters spent 30% of their incomes, on average, to maintain their leases in January.
Shono spends nearly half as much on his entire monthly lifestyle as most Americans do on rent alone. It’s a way of life, he said, that allows him to follow his passion for vlogging, as well as helping people.
“I enjoy making YouTube videos and recording my different experiences to share with you guys,” he said. “I’m also a nurse half days of the week because I have a significant passion for helping people.”
According to Patch.com, the New Jersey nurse has been parking his home on streets and in hospital parking lots for nearly four years. While living in his car in Bergen County, Shono finished his nursing degree — saving thousands of dollars in rent fees all the while.
Born in Jordan, he and his family immigrated to New Jersey when he was 17. In 2020, Shono slept in his car for a few days and something clicked.
“After doing the math for monthly and yearly savings, I realized how much money I could save,” he told Patch.com “That’s when I started building my vehicles into full-time living campers.”
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