In my country (and most of East Asian countries I have been, like China, Japan, etc.) residential ACs are mostly in individual rooms (like this: https://moderndiplomacy.eu/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/air-co... ) . You would have one for the living room, one for each bedroom, etc.

Central HVAC exists, but 90%+ homes don't have them.

It's not as convenient and comfortable (one common problem older houses have is that there is no AC in kitchen) but the energy cost difference compared to the norm in the North America is night and day (the houses are significantly smaller here too).