I spend £8,500 a year to live on a train
A 17‑year‑old German programmer has chosen to “live on trains” using a first‑class BahnCard 100, spending about €10,000 a year to sleep on night services, eat in station lounges, and shower at public pools instead of renting a flat. Commenters weigh whether this is adventurous minimalism or glorified homelessness, debating comfort, safety, social life, and how sustainable such a lifestyle really is beyond a short youthful experiment. The story also prompts broader comparisons of rail pricing, subsidies, and reliability across Germany, the UK, and other European countries, highlighting how housing and transport structures shape what counts as a “cheap” way to live.
Lifestyle Details
- Uses a German BahnCard 100 First Class (~€7,700/yr) plus extras (showers, some food, Interrail) for a total burn of ~€10k/yr.
- Sleeps on regular night ICE trains, not sleeper cars: often on an air mattress under seats or on luggage racks, in bright cars with announcements.
- Eats heavily from DB lounges (limited true food to a few “premium” lounges) and station/board food; showers in public pools and leisure centers; does laundry in laundromats.
- Likely officially registered at parents’ address; practically spends almost all nights on trains.
Comfort, Health, and Feasibility
- Many say this is only tolerable when very young; constant sleeping in seats/floors is seen as exhausting and bad for health.
- Concerns about hygiene, laundry, lack of kitchen, noise, safety while sleeping in public, and the strain of always chasing a night train.
- Others note humans adapt quickly to spartan setups and compare this to backpacking, vanlife, or early bootstrapping.
Costs and Alternatives
- Some see €10k/yr as cheap given big-city rents (e.g., London, Berlin, Dublin) and commuting costs.
- Others argue that in much of Southern/Eastern Europe or smaller towns, €10k/yr can cover rent, utilities, and food, though there’s debate on how comfortably.
- Student dorms and rural flats are cited as cheaper, but without the travel and novelty.
Train Systems and Logistics
- Clarifications: BahnCard 100 doesn’t cover sleeper supplements; night ICEs are just regular trains.
- Mixed views on DB: good coverage but widely criticized for delays and infrastructure issues.
- Comparisons with UK (expensive, over-privatized, heavily subsidized yet inefficient), France, Netherlands, Spain, US, Ireland, Switzerland, Japan.
Freedom, Risk, and Social Life
- Enthusiasts frame this as maximal freedom and adventure; detractors call it inhumane, precarious, or “vagrant cosplay.”
- Debate on friendships and intimacy: some think constant movement weakens deep ties; others say easy rail access could enable visiting friends anywhere.
- Carbon footprint concerns are raised; replies argue one extra passenger on already-running trains is negligible relative to systemic choices.