Cheap Housing Alternatives

There is no definition of affordable housing and the various sources out there all have their own explanation. Some claim it is discounted housing for people who can’t afford regular costs in the private market, and others say it is just discounted accommodation in general. Personally, I would class it as any kind of living situation where the costs are significantly lower than the average costs of a standard mortgage or rent agreement.

Living in cheap housing can be just as nice as a regular home, but isn’t something that has to be considered for a permanent residence. Living in cheap housing can be used for a few years to save up, maybe for a bigger downpayment and a shorter mortgage, or using the money saved for a more comfortable lifestyle.

25% to 75% cheaper to build than a brick-and-mortar home

Countries like China send a huge amount of shipping containers to Europe, but they often don’t get sent back. It can cost more money to ship an empty container from England to China than it does to just build a new one in China, leaving thousands of containers sitting around the country. They aren’t hard to find and will cost very little for the amount of space you get, but all the work will need to be done yourself.

Some of these vehicles can be very expensive and don’t offer the same amount of space as a regular home, but depending on where you can stay, they save a huge amount of money on heating costs and rent. If you want to stay somewhere long-term then you’ll have to find a piece of land where you can make a personal agreement with the owner, instead of paying for pitches on campsites all the time.

The major downside to this option is the amount of fuel you might need, having to use the vehicle for general local transport, or having to buy another smaller car you can attach to the back of it. These vehicles still need to be registered and this option will only save you money if you have a cheap piece of land with electricity that you can stay on longer-term.

3 to 6 times cheaper to buy

One way to live for super cheap in one of these would be to buy one of the premade mini cabins that are only one bedroom. They are small enough to be delivered on a lorry and cost very little to heat, and average between £5,000 and £10,000, depending on how nice it is.

The main cost of this type of home comes down to what the walls are made of, but it also gives you the most options. A timber frame home can be any building where the main frame is made from wooden beams, but the walls themselves can be made from various materials. If you wanted to build one of these for as cheap as possible, then you only need to pay to get the frame and roof in place, and everything else can be done yourself if you’re handy enough.

The inside walls can be plasterboard, with insulation in between that and the outer layer, which can be anything from wooden planks to plastic sheeting. Wood can be expensive so do your research before deciding on a home, or just find the plans for one and source the materials and workers yourself.

5 to 20 times cheaper to buy than a brick-and-mortar home

To find somewhere you can rent that’s significantly cheaper than the average price, you’re going to have to find out what the catch is. It may be accommodation on a working farm that raises animals or in the middle of nowhere with a 20-minute drive to the nearest shop. House sharing can save a lot of money or make you enough to cover costs by renting out rooms. If you offer out a tiny room for the right amount of money, someone will definitely go for it.

25% to 75% cheaper to maintain than a brick-and-mortar home

A few other options for cheap housing alternatives

Permanent camping

How long could you live in a tent? probably not as long as you’d think. I love camping but living in a tent permanently sounds like a nightmare, and most of your stuff would have to be kept in storage elsewhere. One option to make it more comfortable would be to buy a large yurt or teepee-style tent on a piece of land you can live on for cheap. This is the cheapest option on the list but also one of the riskiest when it comes to security.

Build your own home

A Celtic roundhouse maybe? or perhaps you have enough wooden pallets lying around to make a small palace. If you are thinking about building your own home remember you will have to comply with planning permission and all the other troublesome legalities that can ruin someone’s dream.

Move Abroad

This one is out of the question for most people, but the price of a small 2-bedroom house in the UK is the same as a 4-bedroom villa in Jamaica. Other countries around the world have much lower tax rates or utility costs at a fraction of most of Europe, but they also come with their own problems.

Live in jobs

You can save a lot by doing this, but as with finding a place with cheap rent, there will always be a catch. The kinds of jobs that offer accommodation do so because you will either be on permanent call or won’t have the option of being able to leave when you want, such as being stationed on an oil rig or remote farm. Many of the live-in jobs pay very well, but you will have to put up with the living conditions and whatever the work is, which won’t be a normal job for this kind of employment.

Micro homes

Usually under £10,000 to buy or 1/4 the cost to rent, a micro home is considered as anything that is ultra-compact, like a single room with everything in it or one that has the ability to be converted into different room types by expanding fold-out furniture or other kinds of space-saving methods. The main thing to remember with these is the term “micro” and they are normally only suitable for one person. The other problem is that they are quite rare, only being available in trial areas in the center of large cities as an attempt to solve the housing crisis.

Converted vehicles

The right van or an old bus will give you the same amount of space as an RV but for only a fraction of the cost. What you can do with these will depend on your budget, creativity, and how good you are with tools, but the potential is unlimited. It will be much cheaper than buying one ready-made in terms of a cost-per-space foot comparison but has the same problems as RVs and caravans when it comes to living in them.