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How to Split Rent When Rooms Are Different Sizes

When one bedroom is twice the size of another, or has its own bathroom, an equal rent split feels off. These are the most common fair methods, from simplest to most precise.

1. Flat discount

Agree on a dollar amount, like $100 a month off for the smallest room. It's simple, but it's a negotiation, not a formula.

2. Pure square footage

Each person pays their room's area ÷ the total bedroom area. This overweights bedrooms, though, because everyone uses the kitchen and living room equally.

3. Shared space + square footage (recommended)

Split a share of the rent for common areas equally, often 30–50%, and split the rest by bedroom size. This is the method most people end up calling "fair".

$2,400 rent with 40% shared: $960 ÷ 3 = $320 each for common space. The other $1,440 is split by weighted bedroom size.

4. Add premiums for features

A private bathroom is often worth 10–20% more, and a walk-in closet, balcony or parking spot around 5% each. A windowless or tiny room might get a discount. Apply these as percentages of the room's size weight.

Couples sharing a room

Count a couple as two people for the shared-space part, since they use the kitchen and bathroom twice as much, and split their room's part between them.

Try the rent by room calculator

FAQ

What percentage of rent is shared space?

Most households use 30–50%. Choose higher when the bedrooms are similar and the common areas are large.

How much extra for a private bathroom?

A typical range is 10–20% on top of the room's size-based share.

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