I Share a House With Strangers; Has Surprising Benefits, Few Downsides

As a single 30-something in Vancouver (where one-bedroom apartments can cost upward of $2,000 a month), I’ve lived with a roommate since I graduated from university in 2016.

But after spending eight years in the same two-bedroom apartment, I started to feel isolated. I didn’t see my roommate often, and I usually worked from home alone. So, I decided I was ready for a change and started searching for a new place to call home.

I found a room through a local Facebook group that had everything I was looking for — a good price, an awesome central Vancouver location, and tons of cafés in the neighborhood for me to work in.

The only catch? It came with five roommates.

Even as an extrovert, this seemed like a lot, but I had mutual friends with some of the housemates, so it felt like a safe bet.

Knowing I could always leave thanks to the flexible month-to-month lease, I took the leap and moved into a house full of strangers in August 2024. Since then, I’ve been blown away by the benefits the living situation has come with.

The daily interactions with my roommates have helped my mental health

Most days, I like to sit at our kitchen table to work. Some of my housemates also work from home, so there are many natural points of connection throughout the day.

Lunchtime sometimes reminds me of the office break room where people casually connect, chatting about annoying colleagues or what they’re working on.

Even though everyone is busy with their own lives, there are usually a few of us at home in the evenings and on weekends, too. This lends itself to easy, low-pressure hangouts, like movie nights, kitchen chats, or spontaneous outings.

After feeling isolated for many years due to the remote nature of my job, I now feel more productive and focused knowing there’s always someone else around to chat with. I feel like I have a built-in community.

Living in a shared house has naturally shifted me toward healthier habits

In addition to improving my mental health, I’ve noticed how important my environment is for building a healthier lifestyle, too

For example, because I don’t want to monopolize the common living space, I only watch TV when I’m with others. It’s become a shared experience rather than a solo binge session — something I engaged in often at my last place — and less TV means more time for other hobbies, like reading and baking.

I’m also moving more. Most of my housemates go to the gym or go bike riding often, and seeing their active lifestyles encourages me to do the same.

I’ve even noticed a decrease in how much junk food I eat, as my bedroom is on a different floor from the kitchen (instead of a couple of steps away like it used to be). Grabbing a late-night snack is just that much more inconvenient now, which helps me stay on track with healthy habits.

The best part of it all is that I haven’t had to try too hard to achieve these changes — they’ve come as a bonus of changing my environment.

The living arrangement isn’t always perfect, but it’s still worth it

Of course, living with five other people is not without its challenges. Mismatched cleaning expectations, thin walls that don’t block noise, and not having your own space can be frustrating. Sometimes, I long for a place I can make my own.

I’ve also had to confront ingrained ideas of what I “should” be doing at this stage in my life, as many of my friends are getting married or having families. Moving in with five housemates almost seemed like a step backward, because, at the very least, shouldn’t I try to live on my own?

But I’ve learned there is no universal “right” path. And, for now, the mental and physical health benefits of this move far outweigh any downsides.

I’m glad I listened to my intuition because moving here was the best decision I could’ve made, and I have no plans to leave anytime soon.