Reducing the Rent
Where can sharing an apartment save you the most money in DFW?
A roommate undoubtedly can provide companionship — going halfsies on a pepperoni-and-mushroom pizza, watching Game of Thrones together, crying on each other’s shoulders over a breakup. But let’s be honest: One of the biggest benefits of a roomie is saving some serious cash on rent.
So, if you’re looking to share an apartment with a roommate, which spot in Dallas-Fort Worth delivers the most bang for the rental buck? The data scientists at RentHop, an online marketplace for apartment rentals, have the answer.
According to their new study, Arlington yields the most savings when splitting the rent for a two-bedroom apartment versus occupying a one-bedroom apartment by yourself. The study shows there’s a savings of 40.1 percent in Arlington between the solo one-bedroom option ($1,210 a month) and the shared two-bedroom option ($1,450 a month, divided in half).
Here are the areas in DFW that rank right behind Arlington in terms of savings between the solo one-bedroom option and the shared two-bedroom option:
- Tarrant County — 38.67 percent savings; $938 for a one-bedroom, $1,150 for a two-bedroom (divided in half)
- Fort Worth — 36.24 percent savings; $1,198 for a one-bedroom, $1,527 for a two-bedroom (divided in half)
- Vickery — 34.82 percent savings; $806 for a one-bedroom, $1,050 for a two-bedroom (divided in half)
For all the DFW neighborhoods covered by the RentHop study, the typical savings was 34.9 percent.
The savings were substantially lower in a number of DFW neighborhoods, though. The study shows there’s only a 7.09 percent difference in rent between the solo one-bedroom option ($1,318 a month) and the shared two-bedroom option ($2,449 a month, divided in half) in Dallas' City Center District.
The only other Texas metro area included in the RentHop study is Houston. Compared with DFW, the opportunities to save money on a solo versus a roommate arrangement are more numerous and more lucrative.
