Woman who lives in underground bunker with no windows reveals how much she saves on rent

Clearly it isn't just Brits struggling with rising bills, as one woman from the US has admitted that she moved from New York to an underground bunker in California.

It seems as if more and more people are exploring the idea of living away from civilisation, given the scary and significant threat of nuclear war right now, but Caitlin Johnson is keener than most.

The 44-year-old embraced the Fallout lifestyle when she moved from New York to California in April 2024, as she sought a cheaper home where she wouldn't have to worry so much about electricity bills.

However, there are several downsides to living in a bunker, as she doesn't have any windows to work with, which can make things very difficult in winter, but she's still managed to turn it into a home.

She said: "It was empty, I gradually filled it with items that could fit, and the rest went into storage. It just feels like an apartment to me.

"There are two 10 feet by 4 feet hydraulic doors into the bunker, so during the day when I'm home, I'll have them open to let light in.

Caitlin is loving life in the underground bunker (@undergroundgirl1/SWNS)

You enter by a hydraulic door (SWNS)

"It's harder in the winter for sure, but I work outdoors a lot of the time. I'm gone most of the day working, I come home when it's night time, I go down to the bunker and it doesn't feel weird as it is night time."

Given the price of some tiny one-beds in London, Brits are only too familiar with the rising cost of renting, so paying a lot less for a homely bunker which also keeps you safe in the event of an apocalypse sounds like a win win.

She said: "On average a one-bed rental in California is like $1.5 to $2k a month. I rent part of the yard and the bunker for $500 a month - I also don't pay utilities.

"The compromise is that I look after the bunker and yard so she doesn't have to bother with it. I could easily purchase a place, but my job is constantly shifting, and I'm uncertain about how long I will reside in one location."

It's still bigger than some of the flats in the UK (@undergroundgirl1/SWNS)

Regarding the safety of living in the bunker, Caitlin added: "The silver lining of the situation is that if anything goes wrong, I'm safe. I've always joked it would protect me from a zombie apocalypse, and then the world started turning, and I was like 'wow, I'm set up here'.

"I don't live somewhere that would get bombed, but if there were looting or riots, I would be safe as nobody can get into the bunker."

So, it's not just the ultra-rich who get to live in underground bunkers and while you might be laughing at Caitlin now, she will get the last laugh if an apocalypse does arrive during her current tenancy.