two-bdrm, please
Houston now houses more adults with roommates than ever before
As rental prices escalate, a rising number of Houstonians are cohabitating in order to cut costs. According to a report released by real estate website Zillow, Houston has more adults with roommates, whether a friend or a parent, than ever before.
In the Bayou City, where the median rent is $1,532, 32.8 percent of adults live together, up from 24.3 percent in 2000.
The trend is seen elsewhere in Texas, in San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas-Fort Worth. San Antonio has the highest share of doubled-up households: 37. 2 percent, but the lowest median rent: $1,335.
Thirty percent of Dallasites have a roommate, up from 22.6 percent in 2000, and 30.4 percent of Austinites share a home, up from 23 percent in 2000. In DFW, the median rent runs $1,596; Austin is slightly higher: $1690.
Texas is in line with the national average, as Zillow says 30 percent of U.S. adults have roommates, up 8 percentage points since 2000. Nationwide, renters can expect to spend 28.8 percent of their monthly income on a rental payment, or $1432.
"As rents have outpaced incomes, living alone is no longer an option for many working-aged adults," says Zillow's Aaron Terrazas. "By sharing a home with roommates — or in some cases, with adult parents — working adults are able to afford to live in more desirable neighborhoods without shouldering the full cost alone."
Two metros with some of the nation’s most expensive rents, Los Angeles and Miami, have the greatest share of doubled-up households. LA is at 45.5 percent, while Miami is at 41 percent.
