As rent costs rise, living alone is becoming increasingly out of reach. Affordability isn't just about space anymore; it’s about long-term financial sustainability. In 2023, we dove into internal data to understand the average cost of renting a room with a roommate. What we hadn't yet explored was the growing gap between renters who benefit from shared living and those who continue to shoulder the full cost of living alone.

This analysis compares average room rental prices from Roommates.com with one-bedroom apartment rent data from Apartments.com’s Rent Trends in the U.S. to examine the gap. Across the top 10 states with the highest room availability, we found that renters save hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of dollars per month by choosing a roommate over living alone.

At Roommates.com, we have a front row seat to real-world housing trends as they unfold. For more than 20 years, our members have posted tens of thousands of room-for-rent listings each month, sharing real prices for spare rooms offered to people like you. This firsthand data allows us to turn raw numbers into meaningful insights, giving our members a clearer picture of the trends shaping their everyday housing decisions.

This real-world pricing data allows us to compare the cost of renting a room versus living alone across the U.S., helping renters understand where shared living can deliver meaningful savings.

The chart below highlights how average rent prices compare with the cost of a one-bedroom apartment in some of the country’s most in-demand states.

The Data Breakdown | Room Rent vs. One-Bedroom Rent

Across all ten states analyzed, renting a room costs significantly less than renting a one-bedroom apartment. Monthly savings range from roughly 30% to nearly 70%, demonstrating that shared living provides tangible economic relief regardless of market size or average rent costs.

While overall housing costs vary widely by state, the financial impact of living with a roommate becomes even clearer when you look at monthly savings. Using real listing data from Roommates.com, we analyzed how much renters save each month by renting a room instead of living alone in a one-bedroom apartment.

The chart below shows the average monthly savings renters can expect in the top states by room listings—revealing that in many markets, sharing a home can free up hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of dollars each month.

High-cost states such as New York and California show the widest housing cost gaps. In New York, renting a room instead of a one-bedroom apartment alone saves an average of $2,817 per month, nearly 70% less than living alone. California follows closely, with average savings of $964 per month, highlighting the rising housing costs across the coast. Even in traditionally more affordable states such as Texas, Arizona, and North Carolina, renters save roughly 30-36%, showing that affordability challenges are widespread.

These savings tell a bigger story about housing affordability in the U.S. Shared living has become a financial strategy, not a temporary fix. Renters across both high-cost and traditionally affordable states are turning to roommates to maintain flexibility, reduce financial stress, and create sustainable living situations as living alone becomes less realistic. As costs continue to rise, finding compatible roommates will play an increasingly important role in long-term stability and quality of life.

About Roommates.com

Roommates.com is the premier online service for matching people with roommates. Since its inception, the platform has been committed to providing a safe, user-friendly, and inclusive environment for people to find compatible living arrangements. With millions of users across the United States, Roommates.com continues to lead the roommate matching market.