In our previous articles, we've explored what coliving is, traced its rich historical roots, and examined the core benefits that make it such a compelling housing solution. Now it's time to address one of the most persistent misconceptions about this growing movement: who exactly is coliving for?
When coliving first gained mainstream attention, it was quickly pigeonholed as a solution exclusively for millennials and digital nomads—young professionals bouncing between global tech hubs or startup founders looking to stretch their runway. While these groups certainly embraced coliving early on, the reality is far more diverse and inclusive.
As coliving evolves from a niche concept to a recognized housing category, it's attracting a surprisingly wide range of demographics, each drawn to different aspects of the shared living experience. Understanding this diversity isn't just an academic exercise—it's essential for residents seeking their ideal community, operators designing targeted offerings, and cities planning for housing solutions that serve their entire population.
Beyond Stereotypes: The Expanding Coliving Audience
The public perception of coliving has been limited by stereotypes that don't reflect its growing diversity. Let's break down these misconceptions and explore who's actually choosing coliving today:
✅ Young Professionals: More Than Just Tech Workers
Early-Career Professionals. While young professionals do represent a significant portion of coliving residents, they're far more diverse than the "tech bro" stereotype suggests:
◽ Recent Graduates: Finding community and affordability during the transition from campus life to professional careers
◽ Creative Professionals: Artists, designers, and content creators seeking both collaboration and affordability
◽ Service Industry Workers: Accessing quality housing in expensive urban centers where they work
◽ Young Healthcare Workers: Finding supportive communities that understand the demands of their schedules
Young professionals are often attracted to coliving's combination of affordability, convenience, and built-in community—particularly when relocating to new cities for job opportunities. As one resident shared: "Moving to a new city where I knew no one was daunting. Coliving gave me an instant social network and support system while I established myself professionally."
✅ Mid-Career Individuals: Seeking Quality and Community
Established Professionals. Contrary to popular belief, many coliving spaces now host residents in their 30s, 40s, and beyond:
◽ Remote Workers: Seeking flexibility and community while maintaining location independence
◽ Career Transitioners: Using coliving as a soft landing during career pivots or relocations
◽ Divorced or Separated Individuals: Finding community support during major life transitions
◽ Conscious Minimalists: Choosing simplified living aligned with values of sustainability and intentionality
For this demographic, coliving often represents a conscious lifestyle choice rather than just an economic necessity. They're drawn to the quality of life, meaningful connections, and alignment with values like sustainability and resource sharing.
✅ Older Adults: Reimagining Senior Living
Active Seniors. Perhaps the most overlooked demographic in coliving discussions is older adults, who represent a growing segment of residents:
◽ Empty Nesters: Downsizing from family homes while maintaining an active, connected lifestyle
◽ Retirees:Seeking community-centered alternatives to traditional retirement communities
◽ Solo Agers: Building intentional support networks outside of traditional family structures
◽ Part-Time Residents: Maintaining coliving bases while traveling or spending time with family
For older adults, coliving offers a compelling alternative to age-segregated senior housing or aging in place without adequate support. The intergenerational connections and built-in community provide both practical and emotional benefits.
As one resident in her 60s explained: "After my husband passed away, my house felt empty. In coliving, I have my private space but also people to share meals with. I feel safer and more engaged with life than I did living alone."
✅ Families: Reimagining Domestic Life
Families with Children. While less common in urban coliving settings, family-oriented coliving is a growing segment:
◽ Single Parents: Finding support systems and shared resources that make parenting more manageable
◽ Young Families: Creating child-friendly environments with built-in community support
◽ Blended Families: Using coliving to create flexible arrangements during transitions
◽ Intentional Extended Families: Multiple families choosing to live together for mutual support
Family-oriented coliving often looks different from its urban counterparts, with larger private units and carefully designed shared spaces that accommodate children's needs. The benefits are substantial: shared childcare, communal meals, emotional support, and the opportunity for children to grow up in community-centered environments.
✅ Purpose-Driven Communities: United by Shared Values
Values-Aligned Groups. Some of the most successful coliving communities form around shared purposes or values:
◽ Social Impact Professionals: Living together while working on related causes
◽ Sustainability Advocates:Creating low-impact living demonstrations through shared resources
◽ Spiritual or Practice Communities: Centered around shared spiritual or wellness practices
◽ Cooperative Entrepreneurs: Building businesses alongside shared living
These purpose-driven communities demonstrate that coliving can be about more than just housing—it can be a platform for collective action, shared learning, and aligned impact.
Cultural Adaptations: Coliving Across Borders
How coliving manifests varies significantly across cultural contexts. While the core principles remain consistent, the implementation adapts to local cultural norms, family structures, and housing traditions.
🌎 Western Urban Models
In North American and European cities, coliving often emphasizes:
◽ Individual privacy balanced with optional community engagement
◽ Professional management and service-oriented offerings
◽ Technology integration for convenience and community building
◽ Emphasis on lifestyle amenities and programming
🌏 Asian Adaptations
Across Asian markets, coliving frequently incorporates:
◽ Family-oriented options that accommodate multigenerational living
◽ Integration with work and study spaces
◽ Higher density with creative space optimization
◽ Cultural-specific shared amenities (like tea rooms or meditation spaces)
🌎 Latin American Approaches
In Latin American contexts, coliving often features:
◽ Stronger emphasis on communal activities and shared meals
◽ More permeable boundaries between private and shared spaces
◽ Integration with local neighborhood and community life
◽ Adaptive reuse of traditional housing forms
🌍 Emerging Market Innovations
In many emerging markets, coliving is developing unique characteristics:
◽ Hybrid models that blend local housing traditions with contemporary needs
◽ Entrepreneurial hubs that combine living, working, and business incubation
◽ Resourceful approaches that maximize value with limited resources
◽ Community-led governance models that emphasize resident ownership
This global diversity demonstrates coliving's adaptability as a housing framework rather than a rigid model. While the underlying principles of sharing resources and building community remain constant, successful coliving always adapts to the cultural context in which it operates.
Matching Models to Life Phases: The Right Fit at the Right Time
One of coliving's strengths is its ability to serve people at different life stages. However, not every coliving model works for every demographic. The most successful spaces thoughtfully align their offerings with the needs of their target residents:
🔹 Student and Early Career Phase
Needs and Preferences:
⦁ Affordability and value prioritized
⦁ Flexibility and minimal commitment
⦁ Social opportunities and networking
⦁ Location near work/education centers
Suitable Models:
⦁ High-density urban coliving with small private spaces
⦁ Membership-based networks with multiple locations
⦁ Education-aligned housing with mentorship components
🔹 Professional and Mid-Career Phase
Needs and Preferences:
⦁ Higher quality private spaces
⦁ Professional networking opportunities
⦁ Well-maintained facilities
⦁ Work-friendly environments
Suitable Models:
⦁ Premium urban coliving with substantial amenities
⦁ Professional communities with industry focus
⦁ Flexible-term housing with service components
🔹 Family-Oriented Phase
Needs and Preferences:
⦁ Larger private units with adequate family space
⦁ Child-friendly design and safety considerations
⦁ Community support for parenting
⦁ Stable, longer-term housing options
Suitable Models:
⦁ Cohousing and community-led developments
⦁ Family-oriented coliving with appropriate unit mixes
⦁ Suburban or rural coliving with outdoor spaces
🔹 Retirement and Senior Phase
Needs and Preferences:
⦁ Accessibility and universal design
⦁ Community support for aging in place
⦁ Activities and engagement opportunities
⦁ Potential for care integration
Suitable Models:
⦁ Intergenerational communities with senior supports
⦁ Purpose-built senior coliving with appropriate services
⦁ Converted homes with aging-in-community focus
The Demographic Evolution: How Resident Profiles Are Changing
The coliving sector is undergoing a significant demographic evolution, with several notable trends:
1. Aging Up
Early coliving models primarily served residents in their 20s, but the average age of coliving residents has been steadily increasing. This reflects both the maturing of early adopters who choose to stay in coliving and the growing appeal to older demographics seeking community-centered living.
2. Increasing Diversity
Coliving communities are becoming more diverse across multiple dimensions:
◽ Socioeconomic: Beyond the initial focus on young professionals
◽ Cultural: Growing international and cross-cultural representation
◽ Vocational:Expanding beyond the tech/creative focus
◽ Age: Wider range from early 20s to 70+ in some communities
3. Longer Stays
While early coliving was often transitional, average length of stay is increasing as:
◽ More residents view coliving as a lifestyle choice rather than a temporary solution
◽ Communities develop deeper bonds that encourage longer commitment
◽ Property formats evolve to accommodate changing needs over time
4. Family Integration
One of the most significant evolutions is the integration of families into coliving:
◽ Development of family-suitable unit types and amenities
◽ Growth of supportive programming for parents and children
◽ Creation of intergenerational communities that serve multiple life stages
Common Obstacles and How They're Being Addressed
Despite growing appeal across demographics, certain obstacles have limited coliving's reach. Innovative operators are working to address these challenges:
♦️ Privacy Concerns
The Challenge: Perceived lack of privacy deters many potential residents.
Solutions Emerging:
◽ Better acoustic design in new developments
◽ Graduated privacy zones from public to private
◽ Clear community agreements about personal space
◽ Technology solutions for resource scheduling and space management
♦️ Cultural Resistance
The Challenge: In many cultures, shared living carries stigma or associations with economic necessity rather than choice.
Solutions Emerging:
◽ Education and reframing through thoughtful marketing
◽ Creating aspirational models that emphasize choice and quality
◽ Showcasing diverse resident stories and experiences
◽ Developing culturally-specific adaptations that honor local values
♦️ Life Transition Support
The Challenge: Different life phases require different support systems, making it difficult for communities to accommodate changing needs.
Solutions Emerging:
◽ Flexible unit designs that can adapt to changing circumstances
◽ Networks with different properties serving different life stages
◽ Community programming that addresses major life transitions
◽ Intergenerational models that naturally accommodate life changes
♦️ Long-Term Viability Concerns
The Challenge: Potential residents worry about the sustainability of coliving communities over time.
Solutions Emerging:
◽ More mature governance models with clear decision-making processes
◽ Financially sustainable operations with transparent business models
◽ Ownership opportunities that provide stability and equity building
◽ Proven communities demonstrating longevity and adaptability
The Future: Who Will Coliving Serve Tomorrow?
As coliving continues to evolve, we can expect further expansion of its demographic appeal:
🟣
New Family Models
Innovations in family-oriented coliving will likely increase, with models specifically designed for:
◽ Single parents seeking support systems
◽ Co-parenting arrangements after separation
◽ Extended family clusters seeking proximity with privacy
◽ Intentional family collectives sharing resources and care
🟣
Aging in Community
Senior-focused coliving will likely grow significantly:
◽ Midlife planning for community-based aging
◽ Integration of appropriate support services within coliving
◽ Intergenerational models that provide mutual benefit
◽ Retrofitting existing communities for aging in place
🟣 Hybrid Work-Life Integration
As remote and flexible work becomes normalized:
◽ Coliving with integrated workspaces will expand
◽ Professional networks with multiple global locations will grow
◽ Industry-specific communities will develop around shared work interests
◽ Rural and secondary city locations will become more viable
🟣 Inclusive Models
Greater focus on accessibility and inclusion will bring coliving to new audiences:
◽ Design adaptations for people with varying abilities
◽ Affordability innovations to serve diverse economic backgrounds
◽ Culturally-specific models that honor different traditions
◽ Supportive communities for various life transitions
Conclusion: A Housing Solution as Diverse as Humanity
The question "Who is coliving for?" has no simple answer because coliving itself isn't a monolithic concept. Like traditional housing, it encompasses a spectrum of models serving different needs, preferences, and life stages.
What unites these diverse manifestations is a common recognition that sharing resources and fostering community creates tangible benefits—whether you're a recent graduate, a mid-career professional, a young family, or an active senior.
As coliving continues to mature as a housing category, its greatest strength may be this very adaptability—its ability to evolve and serve the changing needs of diverse residents while maintaining its core principles of resource efficiency, intentional community, and enhanced quality of life.
The stereotypical image of coliving as exclusively for young, urban professionals is giving way to a richer understanding of its potential to serve people across demographics, cultures, and life stages. In this expanded vision, coliving isn't just a housing alternative for a niche market—it's a versatile framework for reimagining how we can live better, together.
Next in the Series: #5 The Physical Realities of Coliving: Understanding Typologies and Products
After exploring who coliving serves, our next article will examine what coliving actually looks like in physical form. We'll explore:
◽ Building Typologies – From repurposed single-family homes to purpose-built high-rise complexes designed specifically for community living.
◽ Spatial Organization – How different coliving models organize space, from cluster arrangements to vertical villages.
◽ Integration Models – How coliving connects to its surrounding context, from standalone properties to neighborhood-integrated communities.
◽ Product Differentiation – The spectrum from essential to premium coliving offerings and how they target different market segments.
◽ Sizing and Density Considerations – How successful coliving balances efficiency with quality of experience through thoughtful design.
Understanding the physical manifestations of coliving is essential for residents seeking their ideal environment, operators targeting specific markets, and developers planning future projects. Join us as we explore the tangible forms that bring coliving's principles to life.
About the Author & The Coliving Expert
"Shared living isn't just an alternative—it's the future."
I'm José Alejandro Llanos, founder of CIVIT, the operating system for shared living, and creator of The Coliving Expert. I've lived, learned and worked across 48 countries, immersed myself in nearly every form of shared housing, and built a career around understanding how we can live better—together.
This article is part of my Foundational Series, designed to introduce newcomers to coliving and establish a rock-solid understanding of its impact. Whether you're a curious first-timer, a policymaker shaping the future, or an investor eyeing the next big housing shift, this series lays the groundwork.
If you're ready to explore how coliving is reshaping cities, communities, and human connection, subscribe to Coliving Pulse for expert insights or check out CIVIT to see how we're building the infrastructure for the next era of shared living.