Niru walks a path near her house. She is surrounded by green trees. She is wearing a pink sari and looking off into the distance.

Home at What Cost?

Hear from people around the world

Behind every statistic is a person.

At the heart of Home at What Cost? are people’s lived experiences with housing, including their dreams, priorities and sacrifices in pursuit of a place to call home. Anonymous quotes from survey respondents appear throughout the report. Separately, we interviewed people in six countries to share more in-depth stories about their housing experiences. These individuals did not participate in the survey.

A man and a woman stand in a barn holding on to one another and smiling.

Imelda and Inocente

México

“Having a bathroom with a shower — I think that is basic, but I still don’t have it.”

Imelda and Inocente live in the countryside in El Salto. They love the land and space to comfortably raise their children, but it means medical care and electricity are further away, which can come with increased costs. Saving for home upgrades like adding a bathroom a is challenging. “Having a bathroom with a shower — I think that is basic, but I still don’t have it.  I heat the water on the comal and then carry it in a bucket to the bathroom.”

A woman with long dark hair sits on grass holding a book and she reaches out to pet an orange cat.

Ksenia

Ireland

“It does make future planning quite difficult. If, let’s say I lose my tenancy tomorrow, then I have to lose my job as well.”

While studying in Dublin, Ksenia experienced the shock of a rental agreement falling through, leaving her to stay with family while searching for options in a high-demand housing market. Today, she rents but worries about the uncertainty of sudden changes to her tenancy agreement. “It does make future planning quite difficult. If, let’s say I lose my tenancy tomorrow, then I have to lose my job as well. My hope for my generation is that we figure out the policy around housing, and we find a way to deliver affordable options.”

A woman in a royal blue t-shirts sits with her arms folded in her lap on a red tufted couch.

Joanette

Trinidad and Tobago

“This is my kingdom. This is my comfort zone. And so, I try my best to do little things to make it more livable, more comfortable.”

Joanette lives in the home she grew up in. But the 65-year-old structure is a safety concern – especially in the rainy season when water pools into the home due to runoff issues. She says, “to maintain the home it is always a sacrifice. Some months it’s a give and take. You pay one bill, you hold back on the other bill.” Motivated by the dream to one day pass down her home to her daughter, Joanette took out a small loan to address costly repairs. “This is my kingdom. This is my comfort zone. And so, I try my best to do little things to make it more livable, more comfortable.”

Alex

Côte d’Ivoire

“The sea has already claimed all the coconut trees — it has washed away their roots — and now it is encroaching on the houses.”

Alex, the son of a fisherman, grew up on a plot of land just a kilometer from the sea. Year by year, the sea has begun to encroach on his village — largely destroying his hotel and home in 2023. “The sea has already claimed all the coconut trees — it has washed away their roots — and now it is encroaching on the houses.” Coastal erosion and high tides are threatening not only housing safety, but the livelihoods of community members. “If we do nothing, the sea might eventually swallow the village up — maybe in ten or twenty years.”

Niru

Nepal

“Whenever the wind blew, we had to hold on to the bamboo poles, afraid the metal sheets would be blown off.”

Niru experienced a lifetime of housing insecurity. She and her husband moved from Kavre to Kathmandu in 2001 in search of work, living in rented rooms and factory quarters. The 2015 Gorkha earthquake simultaneously destroyed their small hotel business and their rented room in Kathmandu.

Eventually, Niru’s family saved enough to buy a small plot of land back in Kavre, where they built a cottage made with sheet metal. “Whenever the wind blew, we had to hold on to the bamboo poles, afraid the metal sheets would be blown off.” Today, she owns her home, which was constructed in partnership with Habitat Nepal. “Now we live in peace,” she says.

Bonnie and George

United States

“I’m thankful for the peace that we have received of knowing that we have stability now.”

Throughout their lives, Bonnie and George faced several barriers to securing a safe, stable place to call home — such as rising rents and community safety. For the past 25 years they have lived in townhomes, apartments and duplexes. At times, higher costs of utilities and housing led to budget cuts for both essentials and lifestyle choices. Bonnie faced medical challenges and said, “My doctor had told me a lot of my issues came from stress.” Today, as owners of a new home that their grandchildren love to visit, Bonnie’s medical challenges have turned around. “I’m thankful for the peace that we have received of knowing that we have stability now.”

Beyond the stories

Learn more about people’s experiences with housing around the world through new global research. Read the Home at What Cost? report to learn how housing pressure impacts people’s daily choice, well-being and future plans.

Learn more

An image of hilltop community in Nepal from afar. There are leaves in the foreground framing the picture.