Having a roommate is a growing practical reality in today’s expensive rental market. Over the last decade, sharing has grown by over 20 percent. Just how much value sharing can bring when considering money saved and other benefits can vary greatly from place to place.
On average, two renters who split a two-bedroom apartment can each save $6,700 a year compared with renting a one-bedroom alone, according to a study of the 100 most populous U.S. cities conducted by StorageCafe, an online storage-space marketplace. But in some cities, they can save twice as much. In Jersey City, N.J., the savings were greatest, nearly $13,100 per year.
Among the 10 cities that were found to offer the most annual roommate savings, six were in California: Irvine came in second, with roughly $12,800 a year in savings, followed by Chula Vista, with nearly $12,700.
In addition to the financial benefits of having a roommate, other quality-of-life metrics informed the study’s ranking of the best cities for roommates. They included the prevalence of roommates in the area; average living space per person; and amenities like fitness centers, pools, parking space and storage.
Overall, Irvine ranked first. Aside from high rent savings, its apartments also offered an average of 510 square feet per roommate, and about 97 percent of rentals had swimming pool access. Suburban towns like Irvine often offer the most roommate value, the data showed. The city was among several suburbs that had great decade-over-decade increases in the number of shared renter households. New developments and cheaper rent in those areas were the main draws, the study found.
A separate analysis of more than 16 million searches on SpareRoom, a roommate-seeking platform, echoed the trend. It found that search interest for roommates in the New York City suburbs of Tarrytown, N.Y.; Union, N.J.; and New Brunswick, N.J. — each within 90 minutes of the city — nearly doubled from 2024 to 2025, while interest in New York’s boroughs decreased.
