The conversation about moving in together will eventually come up. Whether your lease is running out or you’re getting married, it’s an exciting stage to reach in a relationship.
One of the many benefits of moving in together is the cost savings. Granted, there are some minor drawbacks… like sharing the medicine cabinet and hiding the creams of shame. Although you might move into a bigger place together, that usually still means you’ll end up with a lower monthly cost of living. Cheaper rent, cheaper utilities, and someone to talk to at any time—what’s not to love?
We decided to research exactly how much couples save when they decide to cohabitate. Our study breaks down the data across each major city, so you can see what the savings look like in your local area. We included the costs of rent, utilities, groceries, and wifi. Now, cheaper bills shouldn’t be the sole reason you decide to take that next step with someone, but it can’t hurt to see how much you could save, right?
Table of Contents
i. The Cities Where Moving In Together Saves You the Most
ii. The Cities Where Moving In Together Saves You the Least
iii. By City: How Much Money You Save by Moving In Together
iv. By City: The Costs of Living Alone vs. Living Together
v. Methodology
i. The Cities Where Moving In Together Saves You the Most
After compiling all of our data, we first looked at where couples can save the most when moving in together. It will come as no surprise that the top 10 are some of the most expensive places to live in the nation. San Francisco, CA tops the list ($955.09 monthly savings per person), followed by New York, NY ($907.17) and San Jose, CA ($830.49).
ii. The Cities Where Moving In Together Saves You the Least
Next, we looked at the major cities where you can save the least. Cincinnati, OH earns the top spot in this case ($272.42 monthly savings per person), and is followed closely behind by Oklahoma City, OK ($282.78) and Louisville, KY ($291.18). It’s apparent from the map that many of these cities are located in the Midwest or the South, and aren’t near a coastline. Now, these savings numbers might seem low compared to the more costly cities, but a few hundred bucks each month can really add up over time.
iii. By City: How Much Money You Save by Moving In Together
Not everyone lives in one of the “best” or “worst” cities, and we didn’t want to leave anyone out. This table shows how much you could save in each of the 50 largest metropolitan areas, as well as how the costs look for someone living alone versus a couple living together. In our home city of Los Angeles, CA, for example, a couple could save a whopping $1,056.50 ($528.25 per person) by cohabitating. This, again, shows the trend of the larger (and notoriously expensive) cities landing at the top of the savings rank.
iv. By City: The Costs of Living Alone vs. Living Together
Finally, we wanted to show how each piece of the total cost calculation compares for each city. The cost of rent is obviously the biggest driver in our calculation, with some cities exceeding a median monthly rate of $1,000. Still, there isn’t a large jump between the costs of a 1 bedroom apartment and a 2 bedroom one in most cities, which ends up saving couples quite a bit of money when they split the rent.
v. Methodology
Our analysis is based on a set of assumptions to define standard costs of living that would be impacted when a couple moves in together. This includes monthly rent, utilities, wifi, and groceries. The rent costs for 1 bedroom and 2 bedroom apartments come from Apartment List. Our analysis assumes an individual will move from a 1 bedroom apartment (alone) to a 2 bedroom apartment (shared) when moving in with a significant other. The utilities and wifi costs come from Expatistan. Our analysis assumes that utility costs would increase by 50% when a couple moves in together. The cost of groceries comes from the USDA (low-cost plan), which was adjusted by city using a Payscale’s groceries cost of living index.
It’s clear that moving in together will save you quite a bit of money, but should you go for it? Ultimately that’s for you to decide. There’s no rule of thumb that is right for everyone. Hopefully it’ll all work out, and you’ll end up finding yourself stressing over wedding planning rather than stressing over the cohabitation dilemma.