The short answer to how Jay Swanson lives in Paris, France, while paying $0 for rent is that he got lucky.

The 39-year-old Washington State native spent time volunteering with a nongovernmental organization from 2010 to 2014, and made friends with a doctor while working in West Africa.

In 2012, Swanson went to Paris to serve in a different role with the organization and shared on his blog that he was struggling to find a place to live. The doctor he'd met while volunteering saw the post and connected Swanson with their mother-in-law, who owned an apartment in Paris. She offered Swanson the apartment's former maid's chambers — rent-free.

"She found out that I was struggling to find a place, took pity on me, let me have this [space] temporarily, and that temporary stay has now lasted for about 13 years," Swanson tells CNBC Make It. 

The apartment's owner lives in New York, but after having Swanson staying in her Paris home, she realized she liked having someone there, he says, so she welcomed him to stay as long as he liked. Swanson's quarters are small and he has to use a shared bathroom down the hall, but it fits his needs well.

"By the end of that [first] year, she was like ...'This is your place, it's yours until I die,' which I didn't really believe her for years, but it turned out to be true," he says.

'Eternally grateful' to live rent-free

After spending a few years back in the States, Swanson moved to Paris permanently in 2017, with his rent-free accommodation still available.

He declared bankruptcy in the U.S. shortly after moving back, but his living situation allowed him to focus on getting back on his feet in a new country. It also allowed him to invest in his business. Swanson makes YouTube videos and maintains a digital guide to restaurants and attractions in Paris, meaning he's often dining out or trying various experiences in the city. 

"I'm eternally grateful I don't have to pay rent," he says. "Instead, I spend my rent on food, which is how I've acquired such a full roster of places to recommend in Paris, because I'm always out exploring and trying something new in this city."

Swanson's business has seen a decent amount of success as a result of his investment. He brought in about $96,000 in 2024, which is a bit lower than 2023, his best year, when his business saw $156,000 in revenue. He takes home around $15,000 as a salary, but is able to count many of his charges, including his food spending, as business expenses.

Here's how Swanson spent his money in December 2024.

• Business expenses: $6,493 on payroll, subscriptions, taxes, fees and business loan payments
• Food: $885 on groceries and dining out
• Debt repayment: $739 toward credit card debt and student loans
• Utilities: $115 for Wi-Fi and his phone plan
• Discretionary: $488 on travel and pet care
• Metro: $95
• Subscriptions and memberships: $67 for a gym membership, P.O. box, Spotify and YouTube Premium
• Unexpected expenses: $41 on a parking ticket received while traveling
• Renters insurance: $17

The last few months of 2024 were tight for his business, and thus his own lifestyle, due to the revenue decline, but Swanson is proud of the way he and his team navigated it.

"Paris remains a really affordable and accessible city to me, partially because of the living situation, but also because the cost of food, public transportation, my phone — so many of those things are really very affordable, especially when compared to prices that I see in the U.S.," he says.

As for his apartment, Swanson says it's not in an ideal neighborhood. He spends most of his time going out with friends and dining in other arrondissements, or administrative districts, while his area is more commonly associated with "old ladies with tiny dogs," he says. 

Still, "I'm very, very grateful for it, and it's enabled me to invest a lot into my business over the years," he says. "I don't know if you could call it golden handcuffs, but I'm very grateful. I'm very lucky to be here."

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