Why Living with Roommates is Smart and Practical

There are a lot of perks when you choose to live with roommates, not the least of which is building awesome friendships. But, if you are looking for some less obvious, more practical reasons, here’s a bunch to get you excited about living with a roommate or two.

Save Money

Splitting the cost of a 2 bedroom or 3 bedroom apartment will make it more cost effective than living in a studio or convertible by yourself. Things like internet, cable and streaming services (Amazon, Netflix, Hulu and more) are all the same price whether there are one or three of you, so you might as well shack up and split the savings.

Utilities can be a little trickier, especially if you have one person who likes it super warm or cool in the apartment, but my advice – don’t sweat it. I’ve lived with roommates and found that everyone used a little more of one thing and a little less of another. Sharing really is caring.

A Better Apartment

A 2 bedroom with a roommate at $3,800 is going to give you more quality finishes and nicer amenities than a 1 bedroom at $2200. Likely, it will mean stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors and an in-unit washer and dryer. It could even mean better sound insulation and great water pressure.

An on-site spa and media/game room wouldn’t be surprising either.

Location of Your Choice

Having a roommate allows you to expand your search to other neighborhoods. Live where you want to live, not where you can afford to live.

In my experience, renters often forget the rule of “location, location, location.” Being in a neighborhood you love, or a short commute to work, might rank higher on the happiness meter than you think!

More Space

Since you’ll be living in a larger apartment than you would be if you were alone, you’re going to get a larger family room, kitchen and dining area. It also will translate into things like more closets and a balcony (or larger balcony).

Fact: Most downtown apartment buildings put the larger units towards the corners of the buildings, with the smaller units lining the middle. A bigger apartment probably affords you way better views. I’ll bet you weren’t thinking of that!

1401 S. State Street Apartments. Dark grey unit is a 2 bedroom. Red units are 1 bedrooms.

Friend Time & Alone Time

Whether you are old friends or new ones, you will want to ask questions about each other’s schedules. Depending on whether you’re looking for someone to hang out with regularly, or someone who is hardly around – the options are there.

Friendly advice: Be clear to yourself, and your roommates, what is important to you in terms of group time and alone time.

I wanted roommates who had active work schedules and busy personal lives. One of my former roommates frequently traveled home on the weekends, while the other traveled every other week for work. I traveled a lot too, so everybody got their “me-time.”

Share Your Skills and Talents

My roommates weren’t the best cooks, but I really enjoyed cooking. Once a week, if they were in town, I’d cook a meal for all of us. It was actually nice cooking for someone other than just myself.

On the other hand, I’m a terrible decorator. Thankfully, one of my roommates was a self-made interior designer, while the other was super handy around the house.

Living with roommates was a great decision for my lifestyle, and I still come up with more and more reasons why it’s beneficial to have one or more roommates. If you and a roommate need help finding a downtown Chicago apartment, reach out to us. We’re a free service and glad to help with your apartment search!