Rent Split Calculator
Enter the rent and each bedroom's size to split rent fairly between roommates, with shared space split equally and extras for features you agree on.
By Tess Mullins · Updated
Your rent
Each month
$1,325.18 and $1,074.82
An equal split would be $1,200 each.
| Person | Breakdown | Pays |
|---|---|---|
| Person 1168 sq ft | $600 shared+ $725.18 room | $1,325.18 |
| Person 2110 sq ft | $600 shared+ $474.82 room | $1,074.82 |
A starting point for a fair split. Agree on it together, in writing. How we calculate
General information, not legal or financial advice.
The short answer
Split the rent in two parts. Divide a share for the kitchen, living room and other shared space equally, then divide the rest by bedroom size. With 50% of a $2,400 rent treated as shared space, bedrooms of 14 × 12 ft and 11 × 10 ft pay $1,325.18 and $1,074.82, instead of $1,200 each.
Features that make a room nicer, like a private bathroom, can count extra if you all agree. The calculator adds shared bills too and rounds to the cent so the shares always add up to the total.
How to use the calculator
- Enter the monthly rent and, if you like, shared bills such as utilities and internet.
- Pick how many people are splitting it.
- Set the share for shared space. If you know the apartment’s total floor area, the share that isn’t bedrooms is a reasonable starting point.
- Measure each bedroom wall to wall, and add an extra percentage for any room with a feature you agree is worth more.
- Read the split. Each person’s share is broken into the shared part, the room part and bills.
Want to split by income instead? Switch the calculator to income, or use the rent split calculator by income. Not sure yet what the utilities will run? The apartment utilities cost calculator estimates the electric and gas bills for your state and the apartment’s size. Use Copy link to send the result to your roommates.
How the shared-space share changes the split
The same two bedrooms with $2,400 rent, at different shares for shared space:
| Shared space | Room 1 (14 × 12 ft) | Room 2 (11 × 10 ft) |
|---|---|---|
| 0% | $1,450.36 | $949.64 |
| 25% | $1,387.77 | $1,012.23 |
| 50% | $1,325.18 | $1,074.82 |
| 75% | $1,262.59 | $1,137.41 |
| 100% | $1,200 | $1,200 |
At one end, nothing counts as shared and the split follows room size only. At the other, everything is shared and the split is equal. Most agreements land in between.
How we calculate
This is our own method, built from the simple conventions roommates use:
- Shared space: the rent × your shared-space percentage, divided equally.
- Bedrooms: the rest of the rent, divided in proportion to each bedroom’s floor area. A room’s extra for features makes it count as that much bigger: a 20% extra counts a 144 sq ft room as 172.8 sq ft.
- Shared bills: divided equally.
- Rounding: each share is rounded to the cent so the shares add up to exactly the total. Any leftover cent goes to the share with the largest fraction.
The result also shows what an equal split would be, so you can see how far the room sizes move it.
Worked examples
Example: Two bedrooms of different sizes
What we know
- Rent: $2,400 a month
- Room 1: 14 × 12 ft
- Room 2: 11 × 10 ft
How it works out
- Shared space: 50% of $2,400 = $1,200, split 2 ways = $600 each.
- Bedrooms: the other $1,200 is split by floor area: Room 1 168 sq ft, Room 2 110 sq ft (278 sq ft in all).
- Person 1: $600 + $1,200 × 168 ÷ 278 = $1,325.18.
- Person 2: $600 + $1,200 × 110 ÷ 278 = $1,074.82.
Person 1 pays $1,325.18 and person 2 pays $1,074.82.
Example: Three roommates, one private bathroom
What we know
- Rent: $3,000 a month
- Room 1: 12 × 12 ft
- Room 2: 11 × 10 ft
- Room 3: 10 × 10 ft
How it works out
- Shared space: 40% of $3,000 = $1,200, split 3 ways = $400 each.
- Bedrooms: the other $1,800 is split by floor area: Room 1 144 sq ft + 20% for features = 172.8 sq ft, Room 2 110 sq ft, Room 3 100 sq ft (382.8 sq ft in all).
- Person 1: $400 + $1,800 × 172.8 ÷ 382.8 = $1,212.54.
- Person 2: $400 + $1,800 × 110 ÷ 382.8 = $917.24.
- Person 3: $400 + $1,800 × 100 ÷ 382.8 = $870.22.
Person 1 pays $1,212.54, person 2 pays $917.24, and person 3 pays $870.22.
Other fair ways to split rent
A size-based split is easy to explain and check, but it isn’t the only fair approach.
- Equal shares work when the rooms are close in size and nobody minds.
- By income gives everyone the same share of what they earn. It’s common with couples. See the rent split calculator by income.
- Bidding methods ask each roommate what each room is worth to them, then look for prices where nobody would rather have someone else’s room. Researchers have shown such a split always exists under mild assumptions, and tools like Spliddit use this approach.
No method is a legal rule. It’s an agreement between the people on the lease, so pick the one everyone can live with.
Write the split down in a short roommate agreement, along with how you’ll handle bills, a roommate moving out and the deposit. Each person keeps a copy.
If someone’s room has a feature the others don’t, agree on the premium before you measure. It’s easier to settle on a number before anyone knows who it favors.
Frequently asked questions
How do you split rent with different sized rooms?
Split part of the rent equally for the shared space, then split the rest by bedroom size. With 50% for shared space, $2,400 rent and bedrooms of 14 × 12 ft and 11 × 10 ft come to $1,325.18 and $1,074.82, instead of $1,200 each.
What share of the rent should go to shared space?
There's no set rule; it's something roommates agree on. If you know the apartment's total floor area, the share that isn't bedrooms is a reasonable starting point. The calculator starts at 50%, and the table on this page shows how much that number changes the split.
How do I account for a private bathroom or a bigger closet?
Agree on a premium together and enter it as an extra percentage for that room. A 20% extra makes the room count as 20% bigger when the bedroom part of the rent is split. There's no standard premium, so pick one you all accept.
How do I split utilities with roommates?
Enter shared bills like electricity and internet as one monthly amount. The calculator splits them equally, or by income if you split by income.
Is splitting rent by square footage fair?
It's simple and easy to check, but it's only one way. Researchers who study fair division have shown that, under mild assumptions, there's always a split where nobody would rather have someone else's room at its price. Finding it means asking each roommate what each room is worth to them. A size-based split doesn't guarantee that, so talk it through.
What if one roommate earns much more than the others?
Some households split by income instead, so everyone pays the same share of what they earn. Switch the calculator to income, or use the rent split calculator by income.
Next step
Net Effective Rent CalculatorEnter the gross rent, the lease length and the free time on offer to see the net effective rent, what you pay over the whole lease and what the concession is worth.
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