What a roommate can save you in 100 US cities
What a roommate can save you in 100 US cities
Rent prices can shift dramatically depending on local housing demand, sometimes pricing renters out entirely. With the price tag of a one-bedroom rental in many large U.S. cities topping over $2,000 per month, those looking to sign a lease may be hesitant to potentially overextend an already-tight budget. Financial advisors often follow a general rule of thumb: You should not spend more than 28% of your gross income on housing to maintain a sustainable budget. However, in the most expensive cities, this can put people earning the U.S. median household income of $80,610 overextended on housing costs.
One approach to maintaining a short commute and city benefits while cutting costs is to consider adding a roommate to the equation to split housing expenses. But roommates have unquantified costs as well—such as lack of privacy, unexpected guests, or other potential inconveniences. So this begs the question: At what point is it worth adding a roommate to the mix?
With this in mind, SmartAsset ranked 100 of the largest U.S. cities based on the average savings for someone who splits a two-bedroom apartment with a roommate versus renting a one-bedroom apartment by themselves.
Key findings
- Adding a roommate in Cleveland cuts rent costs nearly in half. Cleveland renters stand to save an average of 48.1% on rent by splitting a two-bedroom apartment instead of going solo. The average two-bedroom is only $50 more than one one-bedroom rental ($1,400 and $1,350, respectively), generating a monthly savings of $650.
- Splitting an apartment with a roommate in New York City saves the most at $1,670 per month. Those in the Big Apple are facing an average rent price of $4,470 for a one-bedroom apartment, versus splitting a $5,600 two-bedroom apartment at $2,800 each. This is a 37.4% reduction in monthly rent costs. Across the Hudson River, Jersey City, New Jersey, residents see the second-highest dollar savings on rent with a roommate at $1,465.
- It makes least sense to add a roommate in these Arizona cities. Sharing a two-bedroom apartment in Tucson, Arizona, will only save an individual $285 per month, the lowest studywide. A one-bedroom apartment costs $920 on average, versus $1,270 for a two-bedroom apartment. Percentage-wise, Scottsdale, Arizona, holds the title for least savings by adding a roommate at 22.1%, or $375 monthly savings.
- Living alone is relatively cheap in these cities. After Tucson, the cities with the smallest dollar differences between splitting a two-bedroom versus opting for a one-bedroom alone include Wichita, Kansas ($285 savings, $910 rent for one bedroom); El Paso, Texas ($305 savings, $1,210 for one bedroom); Albuquerque, New Mexico ($305 savings, $1,290 for one bedroom); and St. Louis ($315 savings, $990 for one bedroom).
SmartAsset
Top 10 cities where a roommate saves you the most money per month
- New York City
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $1,670
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 37.4%
- One-bedroom rent: $4,470
- Two-bedroom rent: $5,600
- Jersey City, New Jersey
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $1,465
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 45.9%
- One-bedroom rent: $3,190
- Two-bedroom rent: $3,450
- Boston
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $1,100
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 38.6%
- One-bedroom rent: $2,850
- Two-bedroom rent: $3,500
- San Jose, California
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $1,065
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 38.6%
- One-bedroom rent: $2,760
- Two-bedroom rent: $3,390
- San Francisco
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $1,050
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 32.8%
- One-bedroom rent: $3,200
- Two-bedroom rent: $4,300
- New Haven, Connecticut
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $905
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 41.1%
- One-bedroom rent: $2,200
- Two-bedroom rent: $2,590
- Miami
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $875
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 34.3%
- One-bedroom rent: $2,550
- Two-bedroom rent: $3,350
- Arlington, Virginia
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $810
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 32.3%
- One-bedroom rent: $2,510
- Two-bedroom rent: $3,400
- Santa Ana, California
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $780
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 35.5%
- One-bedroom rent: $2,200
- Two-bedroom rent: $2,840
- Chicago
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $770
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 38.1%
- One-bedroom rent: $2,020
- Two-bedroom rent: $2,500
Top 10 cities with the highest percentage savings with a roommate
- Cleveland
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 48.1%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $650
- One-bedroom rent: $1,350
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,400
- Baton Rouge, Louisiana
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 47.7%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $530
- One-bedroom rent: $1,110
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,160
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 46.6%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $485
- One-bedroom rent: $1,040
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,110
- Jersey City, New Jersey
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 45.9%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $1,465
- One-bedroom rent: $3,190
- Two-bedroom rent: $3,450
- Shreveport, Louisiana
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 45.3%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $385
- One-bedroom rent: $850
- Two-bedroom rent: $930
- Detroit
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 45.2%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $475
- One-bedroom rent: $1,050
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,150
- Nashville, Tennessee
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 45%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $720
- One-bedroom rent: $1,600
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,760
- Tampa, Florida
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 44.5%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $735
- One-bedroom rent: $1,650
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,830
- Fresno, California
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 44.1%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $630
- One-bedroom rent: $1,430
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,600
- Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Percentage savings with a roommate: 44%
- Monthly rent savings with a roommate: $550
- One-bedroom rent: $1,250
- Two-bedroom rent: $1,400
Data and methodology
This SmartAsset study examined data from 100 U.S. cities, comparing the average rents for one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments between March 2024 and March 2025 based on data from Zumper. Specifically, the cost of a one-bedroom was compared with half the cost of a two-bedroom for each city, assuming each roommate pays equal rent.
This story was produced by SmartAsset and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
