Places I've lived
1990-2009: My parents' home in Birmingham. Valued around £100,000 (below average for Birmingham).
2006: 12-person flat on a university campus in Birmingham
Rent: £200 per month. False fire alarms about once a week: free.
2007: A 6-person flat in student accommodation in Birmingham
The place had just opened and offered me a great price because they had so many empty rooms. Rent: £200 per month.
2009: A spare room in a family's house in Bournemouth
I left after two weeks because of an argument with the landlord's girlfriend. Rent: £200 per month.
2009-11: Some old guy's house in Bournemouth
I lived here for 2.5 years. There were three bedrooms in total, and I saw various housemates come and go. In the last year, I moved to the smallest and cheapest room. Rent: £240 to £360 per month
2012: Ski chalet in Ontario
I shared a chalet with seven other people at a ski resort. The chalet even had its own sauna. But my room was so cold that one flatmate thought it was haunted. Actually I just couldn't figure out how to turn on the radiator. Rent: $520 (around £288) per month. All bills included.
2012: Alexandrie Hostel in Montreal
I volunteered for a few months in exchange for a free room. The room had eight beds, and I had the whole room to myself. When the hostel closed for the winter, I had to pay rent because there was no work to do. Eventually, the owner kicked me out because I'd lost all enthusiasm to be social. Rent: Free at first, and then $500 (around £280) for the final two months. All bills included.
2013: B&B in Montreal
My girlfriend and I stayed in an B&B for a month while we looked for somewhere more permanent. The B&B was called "Le Petite Prune" and run by a polite Japanese woman named Akiko. We had two double beds to ourselves. Rent: $450 (around £250) for twenty days.
2013: A room in a woman's apartment in Montreal
I shared a bedroom with my girlfriend in a woman's apartment. I suspect she was a lesbian, because she loved snowboarding and seemed a bit butch. Rent: $550 (around £310) per month, split equally between me and my girlfriend. All bills included.
2013-15: Tower block apartment in Montreal
My girlfriend and I lived in a tower block apartment on the edge of downtown Montreal. Rent: $850 (around £470) per month, split equally between me and my girlfriend. All bills included.
2015: Flatshare in Dublin
My girlfriend and I shared an apartment with an untidy couple from Barcelona and Venezuela. Rent: €750 (around £576) per month, split equally between me and my girlfriend.
2016: Air Hostel in Osaka
My girlfriend and I stayed in a hostel in exchange for work. Rent: free.
Notes
There are some other places to but I can't be arsed to include these.
I converted Canadian dollars to UK pounds at the exchange rate of $1.80 = £1, and euros to UK pounds at the exchange rate of €1.30 = £1.
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