How to split rent: even, by income or by room size

Most pages on splitting bills cover every shared cost. This one is about rent only, because rent is the one bill big enough that the way you split it changes how the month feels. For the whole set of bills, see how to split bills based on income. For the bigger picture of money between two people, see seven ways couples split money.

The three ways at a glance

Splitting rent equally

Divide the rent by the number of people. Apartment List gives $2,500 across five renters as $500 each. It calls this one of the best options when renters outnumber bedrooms or a room serves as an office.

It is the simplest and it needs no arguing about measurements. RentCafe says it works when rooms and amenities are comparable, and that a bigger closet can offset a smaller bedroom. It adds that you should talk it over, since one person may not see the trade-off the same way.

Splitting rent by room size

This is for roommates whose rooms differ. The formula is each person's private space divided by the total private space, times the rent. RentCafe counts the bedroom, a private balcony, closet space and an en suite bathroom as private. Apartment List uses bedroom square footage alone and suggests asking your landlord for the figures.

Example: two roommates, $2,100

One room is 200 square feet and the other is 150, 350 in all.

1. 200 ÷ 350 = 57.1%. 57.1% of $2,100 is $1,200.
2. 150 ÷ 350 = 42.9%. 42.9% of $2,100 is $900.

Equal would have been $1,050 each, so the bigger room pays $150 more.

What about the living room and kitchen?

By-bedroom math ignores the shared space, which both people use equally. RentCafe points out that its own formula leaves the shared part unassigned. One fix is a hybrid: split half the rent equally for the shared space and half by room size. On the $2,100 example:

The gap shrinks from $300 to $150. Neither is wrong. It is a choice about how much a bigger bedroom is worth to you, and you should make it before anyone signs.

Splitting rent by income

Add both take-home pays, divide each by the total, and multiply the rent by the share. Ramit Sethi says proportional contributions usually work better than 50-50 splits when incomes are significantly different. TD Bank says 50/50 works well when both earn similar amounts and suggests a proportional split when they do not.

Example: a couple, $2,400 rent

Take-home pay is $5,200 and $3,400, so $8,600 together. The shares are 60.5% and 39.5%.

Equally, the rent takes 23% of one pay and 35% of the other. By income, it takes 28% of each. That is the point of the method: the rent weighs the same on both of you. It does not make your leftovers equal. For that and for the other options, the fair split calculator and uneven incomes go further.

Splitting rent as a couple

Couples have more choices because the money is often tied together. A few notes:

• Use take-home, not gross. It is the money that lands in the bank.
• Match the rest to the rent. Ramit Sethi says that if you contribute proportionally, personal spending should match the same proportion.
• Check it against 30%. Our rent guide covers the line some use for what rent should be.
• Redo it when pay changes. A split by income is only fair while the pays behind it are current.

If you pay each other back, see paying a partner back.

Splitting rent with roommates

Roommates usually go equal or by room. Apartment List says an income split is uncommon outside couples, close friends and family, because roommates without a personal tie are less inclined to pay more for a lower earner. A few things to settle:

• A couple in the mix. Apartment List's example: a roommate living with a couple pays a third if each person counts, but half if the couple counts as one renter. Decide which before signing the lease.
• Utilities. Split them equally or by usage. Usage is harder to agree on.
• Who is on the lease. Apartment List notes that a joint lease may make you liable for the full rent if a roommate does not pay, while renting your room separately limits you to your part. This is general information, not legal advice. Read your lease, and check your state's tenant page or a local legal aid office for what applies.
• Write it down. Both Apartment List and RentCafe say to put the method and who pays what in a written agreement.

Who pays the landlord

The simplest setup is one person paying the full rent and everyone else sending their share the same day. The risk is the one who pays: if a share is late, they carry it. Some groups rotate who pays, or each sends rent to a shared account that pays the landlord. Whatever you choose, keep a running total so no one has to remember who sent what.

When Wonderful is the wrong pick

Wonderful is built for couples who keep their own money, and for one person. It splits shared costs evenly, by income or any way you choose, and keeps a running total of who owes whom. It is not free after a free week: $14.99 a month or $99 a year for the household. For three roommates splitting a lease, a bill-splitting app is the better fit. See the apps to split bills and Splitwise alternatives.