Someone has been living in a backyard yurt in Toronto for $400 a month

Everyone in Toronto knows how untenable rent prices have become, a pain exacerbated by the high (and rising) cost of living in general in the city.

While most of us renters are paying, on average, around $2,500 per month for an apartment, one Toronto resident has figured out a living situation that is a whole lot easier on his bank account.

The man, who has remained anonymous when speaking to media due to the questionable legality of his space, is essentially camping in his friend's backyard in the west end — glamping, really, in a fairy light-filled yurt.

As the man tells the CBC, he pays only $400 a month to be able to set up his 8 x 7 foot yurt — a portable, circular structure that costed him around $3,000 — and use his friend's utilities.

There are many that don’t have a yurt to sleep in that’s reality and the Canada we live in

— Donald (@Donald59171453) March 4, 2020

The situation is a fit for him not only because it is budget-friendly, but because as a seasonal worker, he is able to travel freely without having to worry about subletting out an apartment or moving.

Also, to him, the way of life is more sustainable and ethical. As he says to the CBC: "We [are] a species that wishes for life to be a little too easy, and doesn't care to go the harder route to do things in a better, more ethical way."

Though the arrangement seems savvy and maybe even ideal for some, it definitely speaks to the city's ongoing affordable housing crisis.

As rent continues to rise and vacancy rates continue to plummet across Canada, unique and extreme measures such as camping out in a yurt may appear more and more appealing — and even necessary — to residents.

Having a shelter and a friend's backyard to set up said shelter in if one so chooses is one thing, but there are a large number of people in the city who just don't have access to a choice or these options — or many/any options, as far as housing is concerned.