Small Space Extreme in Beijing - Small Space - Beijing

Zhang Qi works at an advertising firm in Beijing and rents her 7 s.f. (that's right - s-e-v-e-n) for under $40 per month on a $586 per month salary. This allows her to save up money to send to her family in her hometown. The tiny space compares to the $120 rent she used to pay when splitting an apartment with a roommate.

It doesn't seem to us that the tradeoff is worth it, as she's essentially paying 1/3 of what she used to pay to live in a closet instead of splitting an apartment with a roommate. We'd stick to $600 splitting a real apartment with a roommate VS $200 in a closet any day. What say you?