California man who's spent the last two years living in his Tesla and paying no rent shares how much he's saved

This guy has been living in his Tesla Model X in California for two years after losing his job, ironically, at Tesla.

Even though this lifestyle choice obviously isn’t for everyone, the idea is interesting.

Most of the pros and cons are probably self-evident; one of which is the fact you can save money.

But wait until you hear how much he actually saved.

Living in cars is becoming more common

We live in a funny world that changes quite rapidly, which explains why living in a car, as a choice, is now becoming more common.

Maybe it’s the way the housing market has gone over the last few years, or maybe it’s the fact that content never sleeps and YouTube somehow contributed to removing certain the stigma.

This YouTuber – Nico Murillo – has been living in his Tesla Model X for two years.

And the amount of money he saved is indeed quite impressive.

Why the Tesla Model X lends itself well to this

The Model X is probably the best possible Tesla for this.

It’s the largest Tesla aside from the Cybertruck, but the Cybertruck has a relatively compact cabin in proportion to its overall size, and sleeping in the truck bed is doable, but less than ideal because it’d be like locking yourself in a coffin.

By contrast, the Model X has seven seats and a large cabin, especially if you knock the rear seats flat.

Nico, a former Tesla supervisor working at Tesla Fremont in California, was abruptly laid off in 2024, which forced him to sell the $1.2 million home he’d bought with his family.

Instead of looking for a new home to rent or buy, he decided to live in his car full-time.

This was possible partly because he was already doing that before, occasionally, to avoid the three-hour commute to the factory, and partly because he wanted to see how much he could save.

Well, the answer is: a lot.

Nico has been using 24-hour gym memberships for showers and bathrooms, and overnight parking is split between quiet residential neighborhoods, 24-hour gym lots, truck stops, and rest stops.

The result?

He’s apparently been saving $1,500 per month.

“When I saw rent in California, electricity, gas, water, garbage eliminated, and also got rid of my car note… I started saving, get this, $1,500 per month just on a regular GNC job,” he said in the video.

It’s not for everyone, but, clearly, it is working for him.

“You don’t have to do it. I’m not telling you, but like the experience of living in it full-time is awesome,” he said.