Americans have disasters on the brain — some real threats, and some imaginary.
For instance, more than one in 10 believe we’ll eventually experience a zombie apocalypse, according to a 2025 survey of 1,000 Americans by Barter Insurance (1).
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Whether or not the prospect of a zombie apocalypse terrifies you, there are other pressing concerns, like “unequivocal evidence that Earth is warming at an unprecedented rate,” according to NASA (2). About one-third (35%) of adults worry about climate change weekly, according to the American Psychiatric Association (3).
And nearly half (46%) of Americans are worried that the U.S. could enter a nuclear war in the next decade, according to a YouGov poll (4).
And if you’re wondering just how extreme their catastrophe thinking gets: Just a few years ago, four in 10 Americans told Pew Research they believed we’re “living in the end times” (5).
Would you live in a cave?
Whether it’s zombies, climate change or nuclear annihilation that keeps you awake at night, modern threats are driving recent interest in bomb shelters — a trend that’s expected to grow until at least 2030, according to the market research firm Blueweave Consulting (6).
If that describes you, then you might be interested in a recently listed Arizona property.
Described as a “crown jewel” on Realtor.com, the property — on a hill overlooking the historic mining town of Bisbee, minutes from the U.S./Mexico border — is actually a former gold mining bunker.
While it may be a little rustic (it lacks a kitchen, bathroom, or running water), it can be hooked up to town water, electricity and sewer service, leaving the cave dwelling ripe for development. . The listing envisions the bunker as a wine cellar to a “majestic castle,” an entire mini home or a “basecamp for outdoor enthusiasts” (7). Or, of course, it could also serve as a bunker. It’s also the centerpiece for 10 contiguous lots, six of which are leveled homesites, so the property could also anchor a gated community (8).
Living in a cave isn’t as unusual as it might sound: Humans have lived in caves since prehistoric times, and still do in some parts of the world. For example, in Guiadix, Spain, 4,500 people live in caves. “It’s a good place to sleep: cool in the summer and warm in the winter,” cave dweller Maria Carmen Lopez recently told German news station DW (9).
Not only do caves help protect residents from rising temperatures, they help fight climate change as well. They “consume much less energy, there’s no need for air conditioning or heating,” cave builder Jorge Herrero told DW.
“In future, caves will become more attractive, as they have a direct impact on the fight against climate change. There is no concrete here, no steel beams. No energy-intensive materials are used at all,” adds architect Juan Calandria Hernandez (9).
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Affordable, climate-resilient housing options
New ways of living could prove important in the U.S., as American real estate is facing a “$1.4 trillion potential reduction in unadjusted real estate value over the next 30 years due to climate-related risks,” according to a study by climate risk financial modeling firm First Street (10).
Already, climate change is routinely pushing insured property losses caused by weather catastrophes to more than $100 billion per year, according to data from the Insurance Information Institute (11).
An increase in wildfires, flooding and severe storms is driving up insurance premiums and even creating insurance deserts, where homeowners insurance is unavailable or prohibitively expensive (12).
Cave living, as odd as it may sound, could potentially protect homeowners from many of these risks and expenses.
As an added bonus, the Bisbee gold mining bunker is listed at $247,000, well below the December 2025 median list price for a U.S. house of $399,950 (13). Admittedly, it needs some work, but its lower price could help combat the current and real threat of the housing affordability crisis in America.
If price isn’t an issue, you might consider a more luxurious cave home. They do show up for sale occasionally, including a 5,802-square-foot home with three bedrooms, four bathrooms and a stunning view, also near Bisbee. It was listed for sale about five years ago for $998,500, but didn’t sell, and is not currently on the market (14).
If you’re concerned about affordability and looking to protect your home from climate change — but aren’t interested in living in a cave — you might want to consider relocating to the Rust Belt (15) or the Great Lakes Region (16), which have a lower risk of wildfire and are sheltered from hurricanes and sea level rise. They also have some of the lowest median home prices in the country (17).
Affordability has always been a factor in where people choose to live, but in recent years climate change has also become a pressing concern. In the face of these two challenges, some Americans may want to consider creative solutions for the homes we live in — though there’s no guarantee they’ll protect you from a zombie apocalypse.
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Article Sources
We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.
Barter Insurance (1); NASA (2); American Psychiatric Association (3); YouGov (4); Pew Research (5); Blueweave Consulting (6); Realtor (7); Realtor (8); DW (9); First Street (10); Insurance Information Institute (11); World Economic Forum (12); Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (13); Realtor (14); Virginia Politics (15); The Atlantic (16); World Population Review (17)
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.