This is a really random question but what is the fair way if you wanted to split an apartment cost with a friend and your gf. Say for example you rent a 2BR/1BA $1200 apartment, would it be fair for you to go 600/600 (600 for me and gf) and 600 for other roommate or would 400 split 3 ways be more fair?

are utilities included? chop rent halfway but utilities 3 ways imo

Typically fair is somewhere in between. Sharing bathroom, sharing communal space, but not sharing bedroom. Makes it less expensive than even 600/600 split but not so cheap as 3-way split. Talk with your friend about what seems fair to both of you. Something like 450-500 for his share seems pretty normal. There is no standard percentage breakdown and what makes it worth it to each of you depends on lots of factors.

J,

600/600 is too little, you have two people and roommate is one.
800/400 is too much, you have two people in one room and he has one room to himself.

So, obviously you go with 700/500 and split bills three ways.

thanks for responses. I just wondered what people normally did in situations like this.

All parties split 50% of the rent evenly. Other 50% of the rent is split proportional to the amount of non-public space taken (by sq ftage).

This gives 700/500 split that El D suggested if the bedrooms are the same size.

This works great until gf moves out and he still wants to pay $500 because it's not his fault she's not living there anymore.

how does this math work for you guys?

Total sq. footage (x) = $1200
Sq footage of communal space = (y), Sq footage of each bedroom = (z)
(z) + (z) + (y) = (x)

op pays for -> (z) + 1/3(y)
each roomate pays for -> 1/2(z) + 1/3(y)




and utilities are split 3-ways evenly.

Sounds good assuming the bedrooms are the same size.

You and roommate each pay half, gf puts out for roommate one a week

I really like the 700/500 split here that El D proposed and then chop up utilities equally 3 ways.

This is also a very important point to figure out ahead of time rather than after it happens. Talk with your buddy up front about it so you have a plan.

This seems like a bad idea.

anywhere between 500-550/650-700 is a fine split. obv split all other bills 3 ways though, utilities, cable, etc.

if she carries her weight around the house, a 550/650 split is even fine. i had a roommates girlfriend live with us during summer for 3 months because she was between places while we were in college.

i actually still kept all the bills the same, even took half the utilities, but she did her part around the house for those 3 months. would clean up after parties, cook dinner, do my laundry, dishes, etc etc. basically i ate a little more money on utilities and had a live in maid. it was great.

depends are the rooms both of equal size? I don't think you should be splitting it 50/50 thats for sure. You only listed 1 bathroom and so you and your GF need to shell out more. The utilities should be split 3 ways though.

Although it seems pretty clear that the rent should revert to 50-50 if there are only two residents, the two guys should obviously discuss this before agreeing to live together.

This sounds fair.

Assume it's you and friend and you each pay $600. Then all of a sudden you bring the gf to live with you. If you keep it split at $600 each there is no benefit to the roommate, while he has to deal with an extra person living with him.

700/500 is probably good. Maybe 750/450. And ya utilities split 3ways

I was in this situation a couple of years ago where I lived with one of my friends from growing up and his 18 y/o girlfriend for around 6 months, and let me tell u, it didn't end well. At first it was great and I didn't mind the fact that she didn't contribute financially as she was jobless and was helping out with cleaning around the house. I guess it came down to a conflict of power, because the woman in these situations always wants to exert her power on the household and have her say as to how it's run, so as soon as she started bitching about me not pulling my weight wrt cleaning it was only natural that it rubbed me the wrong way, considering the financial aspect.

My advice would be that if u are going ahead with this, be prepared for the time when your friend gets fed up living with your gf (or u) and decides to leave. And of course, there is the possibility that your gf leaves too.

A 3 person household can work out well if everyone is kept happy, they say that a triangle is the strongest structure, i'm not sure if u can relate that to a 3 person living arrangement but best of luck anyway.

i'm not sure this can be said enough

Who says this? My experience is either:

A) A vicious cycle of bonds between formed between two people and with person 3 attempting to split and manipulate their way into the good graces of 1 or 2, which eventually succeeds and leaves the another outsider vying for an inside position.

B) A "special" bond between two roomies solidifying and being reinforced by a mutual distaste for roomie #3.

Vast majority of cases involving a dude's girlfriend being introduced as (or being included as from the get-go) the 3rd roommate, the dynamic ends up as B.

Yeah I was more so relating to the literal idea of solid pyramid structures, I know that 3's a crowd and all that, that's why I said i'm not sure if u can relate it to social groups.

From my experience, it becomes a case of 'the gooseberry', bf and gf have nothing to talk about in their spare time when 'friend' isn't around so they talk about all the negative traits of said 'friend' and then before u know it, this gossiping behind the other persons back then manifests into reality and all the **** rises to the surface as the social lives are played out in close quarters.

yep this is going to suck for your friend 95% of the time.

Not worth saving $100 if you value the friendship. Just move in with the GF sans 3rd wheel. EZ game.

What Tuma said. Utilities split evenly. Rent split based on square footage usage.

This is terrible. Means person without gf ends up paying 1/6 less of communal space than they otherwise would. I would much rather pay that 1/6 cost to not have an additional person live there.