For many young professionals relocating to London, renting a room in a shared house is often the most economical choice. In 2025, the average monthly rent for a room in the city reached around £995, as reported by SpareRoom, and this figure doesn’t even account for additional utility bills.

However, one savvy traveler discovered an ingenious method to drastically reduce her living expenses, enabling her to reside in one of London’s most coveted neighborhoods.

Zahra Khozema found herself burdened with over £30,000 in debt when she embarked on an unpaid internship in London, a city renowned for its high cost of living.

At the age of 23, while pursuing a Master’s degree in journalism, Zahra was offered an unpaid position at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s international news bureau in London. This opportunity seemed too valuable to pass up, despite the financial strain.

In 2019, Zahra decided to set aside her financial concerns and fully immerse herself in her new role, embracing the challenges and experiences it offered.

It was 2019 and Zahra put thoughts of her money troubles to the back of her mind and threw herself into the new role.

But with rent costing around £500 a month, the freelance journalist and podcast producer from Toronto, Canada, needed to think creatively about where she was going to live. So she moved into a hostel.

She took a shared room at Bowden Court hostel in Notting Hill where for £80 a week she had the bottom half of a bunk bed in a room with three other women, two meals a day, access to laundry service and a gym.  All in one of London’s fanciest postcodes. 

Zahra Khozema (pictured) owed more than £30,000 when she began an unpaid internship in London, notoriously one of the most expensive cities in the world

Portobello Road in Notting Hill area of West London is pictured

The desirable location is known for its pastel-coloured houses, Portobello Road Market, Notting Hill Carnival and its starring role in the romantic comedy film starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant.

Bowden Court describes itself as a ‘charity-run hostel/student accommodation in the heart of Notting Hill, London, offering budget-friendly stays with shared or private rooms’.

‘It was the cheapest I could find. The room was tiny; if one person was standing up, it felt crowded,’ Zahra, now 30, said.

‘The people I met were really diverse. There was a Japanese guy who cut everyone’s hair, a British gentleman who liked to paint portraits, lots of students, people who came from the EU to learn English, working in retail and hospitality and a few British pensioners too.’

What she intended to be a short-term solution became a year-long one. The residents would have parties, teach each other different languages and share meals together.

Zahra is well-travelled and used to hostels. ‘I feel like they get a bad rep, especially if you choose them as accommodation as an adult. 

‘I’ve often found hostels to be as clean as Airbnbs and I very much prefer them over hotels.’

Bowden Court was cleaned twice a day, the sheets were changed every week and it had 24-hour security and a deal where the longer you stayed, the cheaper the rent got.

The desirable location is known for its pastel-coloured houses, Portobello Road Market, Notting Hill Carnival and its starring role in the romantic comedy film starring Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant

Zahra took a shared room at Bowden Court hostel in Notting Hill where for £80 a week she had the bottom half of a bunk bed in a room with three other women, two meals a day, access to laundry service and a gym

‘By the end I was paying maybe £50 to £60 a week’, she said.

But there were downsides: there was no privacy and not much space to keep her possessions. Everything she owned was contained in her suitcase, nightstand and a narrow wardrobe.

‘Some people really made it their own. People had furniture that they brought in, beautiful sets of matching beddings, curtains that they bought, fluffy pillows and rugs,’ she said.

‘There were no chairs in the room and my roommate would sit on my bed. I really don’t like outside clothes on my bed, so I would have to ask her not to. And anyway, if you sit on the bed, your head hits the bunk above, so there was nowhere to chill on a laptop or watch a movie in the evening.

‘I spent a lot of time exploring the area and found some empty coffee shops and parks I could work in for long periods when I didn’t want to be around people.

‘And my roommate started dating someone. He was very nice, but they would use the top bunk while I was sleeping at the bottom. And there were two other women in the room as well!

‘And when he slept over and rolled in bed, the whole structure of the bed moved. And also, sometimes the food was terrible. I just wanted to cook something and I couldn’t.’

While Zahra was bunking up, she started to work full-time in communications, earning enough to clear her debt before heading back to Canada.

Zahra is pictured getting her hair cut at the hostel 

‘I was able to save all that money because my living costs were low with the hostel and the pandemic meant I wasn’t going out.’

And after a year, Zahra moved into a house with four others she’d met at the hostel, which felt like a palace compared to the hostel. 

She finished: ‘All in all, I have great memories from that time. I made friends for life. When I moved to the UK, I only had enough for a one-way ticket, but when I returned home after two years, I was clear of debt. 

‘I was really grateful that I was able to do that.’