The idea that young people can’t afford homes because they spend too much on coffee and avocado toast has been doing the rounds for years. It’s become a punchline—a tired stereotype suggesting that financial hardship is self-inflicted, born of frivolous spending and poor life choices. However, in Oxford, where the average rent can consume more than 60% of a person’s income, that narrative falls under the weight of lived experience.
Oxford is one of the most expensive places to rent in the UK. It’s a city of breathtaking colleges and winding cobbled streets, but for many residents—particularly students, recent graduates, and young professionals—the beauty hides a brutal reality. Rents are sky-high, availability is scarce, and mental health suffers as a result.
The Hidden Cost of Housing Insecurity
It’s easy to dismiss concerns about rent as part of “growing up” or adjusting to adult responsibilities. But housing isn’t just a financial issue—it’s a mental health issue. Studies consistently show a direct link between poor housing conditions, affordability problems, and poor mental health outcomes. Anxiety, depression, chronic stress, and even physical health conditions can all stem from the instability and precarity of not knowing if you can afford your home next month.
When living in a shared house with mould on the ceiling, a broken boiler, and the looming threat of a rent hike, it’s hard to focus on anything else. Add in the stigma that comes with asking for help or being told your struggles are the result of poor budgeting, and the mental toll becomes even heavier.
Beyond ‘Wellness Perks’
Some landlords are trying to introduce wellness initiatives—monthly check-ins, discounts on therapy apps, or perks like yoga classes. While these gestures are welcome, they’re often superficial. The Independent recently reported that such efforts can feel more like distractions than real solutions. You can’t mindfulness-meditate your way out of a £1,300-a-month studio flat.
Without tackling affordability, these perks risk becoming a PR bandage on a gaping systemic wound. Wellness begins with security. It starts with knowing you have a safe, stable place to sleep that doesn’t leave you skipping meals to pay rent.
Avocado Toast Isn’t the Problem
The narrative that young people could fix their financial situation by cutting out lattes and brunch is not only condescending—it’s harmful. It shifts the blame from broken systems onto individuals, gaslighting them into thinking they’re the problem. The reality is that housing in Oxford (and much of the UK) has become unaffordable due to a combination of wage stagnation, underinvestment in social housing, and an unchecked rental market.
Avocado toast didn’t make rents unaffordable. A lack of housing policy and regulation did.
What Needs to Change?
We need to stop treating symptoms and start addressing causes. That means:
- Investing in genuinely affordable housing in Oxford and surrounding areas.
- Introducing rent caps or tighter regulation in cities with extreme housing inequality.
- Expanding mental health services that specifically support those dealing with housing stress.
- Creating better pathways to secure tenancies for young people, key workers, and low-income renters.
Local organisations like Crisis Skylight Oxford are doing incredible work supporting people facing homelessness and housing insecurity—but they need broader systemic support to create lasting change.
A Call to Empathy and Action
Oxford’s housing crisis isn’t just about bricks and mortar—it’s about people—people who are working full-time, studying, raising children, caring for others, and struggling to stay afloat. It’s about the toll that stress, uncertainty, and constant compromise take on the human mind and spirit.
So next time someone makes a joke about brunch ruining a generation’s future, remember: mental health can’t thrive where housing isn’t secure. And no one should have to sacrifice their peace of mind for a roof over their head.