Is living alone worth the extra money?
Getting your own space often costs an extra $1,000 to $1,500 a month, which can completely wipe out your ability to save. However, staying with family or roommates invites unwanted social judgment, complicates dating, and leaves you sick of dealing with other people in your home. This forces you to choose between protecting your financial progress and paying a high premium for independence and peace of mind.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1continuing to live with family to save and invest the differenceDid this help you?
- 2ignoring societal expectations and outside comments about living arrangementsDid this help you?
- 3renting a studio apartment instead of a 1-bedroom to save moneyDid this help you?
- 4looking for apartments further away from the city centerDid this help you?
- 5cutting down on food and dining out budgets to afford higher rentDid this help you?
- 6staying with roommates to save up for a house down paymentDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I am debating if having my own space is worth it in the eyes of... society and a future boyfriend I suppose?”source ↗
“At what point would you say the independence of living alone is worth the extra $1000 - $1500 per month?”source ↗
“I always get comments that living with her is weird and it impacts me.”source ↗
“I am getting really sick of dealing with living with other people. I am sick of having roommates and would like to live on my own.”source ↗
“If my math is right, since I am paying 800 and saving 1000, I could theoretically go up to 1800 but that would be stupid since I wouldnt be saving.”source ↗
“am I being stupid for considering trying to get my own place?”source ↗
“I could not stand living with roommates so I get where you're coming from.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 27How to balance saving for retirement and enjoying your 20s
- 3Living alone vs sharing an apartment to save money
- 17Can I afford to move out on my own?
- 2How do you plan for retirement when your spouse isn't a saver?
- 3How to save $35k for long-term travel by age 22
- 5How do you actually start saving for a house?