[kcmastrpc]

A $180,000 at 7% interest would require monthly payments of ~$1,200 to pay down after 30 years. Even at 3% it'd still be ~$750.

I'm really skeptical of these types of articles because they don't tell the complete story about their finances and how they're spending money. In 2013 the median rent in Chinatown was ~$600, and the average salary for a resident was $55,000. After taxes that's roughly $3k/month.

[sct202]

They were probably in an income based repayment plan where the payments are capped versus income, and it is very common for the balance to grow if your income is low.