best roommate cities overall
(but which are best for YOU?)
Say what you like.
Find a roommate!
100% settled on where to look for roommates? Where could you afford to live?
Are people seeking roommates like you? See how we rate roommate compatibility and advice on roommate matching. Your best roommate search must avoid the wrong roommates (or "roommates") including scams.
Living with roommates in emotional health means roommate agreements with roommate rules establishing boundaries upfront . . .
. . . instead of after feeling hurt or disrespected. Making sure you'll get along is a little like a prenup!
Add to roommate research yourself and read about roommates living happily ever after!
These lists are about living with roommates in different cities.
If you could imagine living with roommates in different cities that are best but different ways . . . you shouldn't have to live in all before figuring from afar which are best for YOU.
If you already know what you want more or less, maybe you should adapt?
We know not everyone can be flexible, some careers or bosses can't allow it. But for others, jobs with geographic range as well as the ability to work from home (or wherever) are increasingly popular, even after the height of the pandemic.
Or if you're lucky enough to range wherever you want, like hello scholarship?!?
Maybe you'll assemble your dream team of roommates in your dream city! Then collectively appreciate local stuff!
Some do exactly that. And good luck!
lowest traditional roommate rents in the US
("traditional roommate rent" explained here)
- Wichita
- Jackson
- Fargo
- Little Rock
- Sioux Falls
- Cheyenne
- Oklahoma City
- Baton Rouge
- Memphis
- Tulsa
highest traditional roommate rents in the US
("traditional roommate rent" explained here)
- NYC - Manhattan
- NYC - Brooklyn
- San Francisco
- Miami
- Boston
- Los Angeles
- NYC - Queens
- Honolulu
- San Diego
- San Jose
commutable to nearby larger city . . .
. . . but cheaper
(and in no particular order, it's all)
- Athens
- Baltimore
- Boulder
- Grand Rapids
- Manchester
- Worcester
- Newark
- Providence
- New Haven or Bridgeport
- Staten Island
- New Brunswick
- NYC - Bronx
- NYC - Queens
- Columbia
- Tacoma
- San Antonio
- Sacramento
most pet friendly cities for renters
(according to zumper.com)
- Richmond
- Madison
- Columbus
- Minneapolis
- Kansas City
- Omaha
- Des Moines
- Denver
- Portland (Oregon)
most walkable cities
(rankings from walkscore.com)
- San Francisco
- NYC
- Boston
- Vancouver
- Chicago
- Washington D.C.
- Miami
- Newark
- Philadelphia
- Seattle
most transit friendly cities
(rankings from walkscore.com)
- NYC
- Toronto
- San Francisco
- Vancouver
- Boston
- Washington D.C.
- Montreal
- Philadelphia
- Chicago
- Newark
- Seattle
most bikeable cities
(rankings from walkscore.com)
- Minneapolis
- Portland (Oregon)
- Vancouver
- Montreal
- San Francisco
- Chicago
- Denver
- Washington D.C.
- Boston
- NYC
temperate climates . . .
. . . with fewer temperature-related hassles
(in no particular order, it's all)
- Salem or Eugene
- Boise
- Tacoma
- Portland (Oregon)
- Seattle
- Sacramento
- Santa Fe
- Orange County
- San Jose
- Los Angeles
- San Francisco
- Honolulu
few traffic jams
(in no particular order, it's all)
- Buffalo
- Columbus
- Bangor
- Burlington
- Little Rock
- Columbia
- Knoxville
- Fargo
- Des Moines
- Cheyenne
- Oklahoma City
- College Station
- Albuquerque
- Anchorage
stunning views
(in no particular order, it's all)
- Baltimore
- Baton Rouge
- Boise
- Tacoma
- Seattle
- Albuquerque
- Austin
- Boulder
- San Francisco
- Anchorage
- Honolulu
- Vancouver
- Denver
- Halifax
- Edmonton
best restaurants
(in no particular order, it's all)
- NYC - Manhattan
- Atlanta
- Chicago
- Dallas
- Houston
- Los Angeles
- Madison
- New Orleans
best parks, according to . . .
. . . Trust for Public Land's Parkscore
- Washington D.C.
- Minneapolis or St. Paul
- Cincinnati
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Portland
- NYC
- Boston
- Chicago
best off leash dog parks or dog areas . . .
. . . according to Trust for Public Land's City Park Facts
- Boise
- Portland (Oregon)
- Norfolk
- San Francisco
- Sacramento
- Tampa
- Madison
- Las Vegas
- Anchorage
- Washington D.C.
best trail mileage with finished surfaces . . .
. . . according to Trust for Public Land's City Park Facts
- Washington D.C.
- Omaha
- Tampa
- Anchorage
- Denver
- Minneapolis or St. Paul
- Colorado Springs
- Baton Rouge
- Albuquerque
- Cleveland
best ranked orchestras
(according to many, but here's the wikipedia)
- New York Philharmonic
- Boston Symphony Orchestra
- Chicago Symphony Orchestra
- Philadelphia Orchestra
- Cleveland Orchestra
- Los Angeles Philharmonic
- San Francisco Symphony
- Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
- Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
- Houston Symphony
- Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
- National Symphony Orchestra (D.C.)
- Minnesota (Minneapolis) Orchestra
- St. Louis Symphony Orchestra
- Metropolitan Opera Orchestra (NYC)
most allergenic pollen
From the report from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Most Challenging Places to Live with Pollen Allergies
- Wichita
- Dallas
- Oklahoma City
- Tulsa
- Orlando
- Des Moines
least allergenic in terms of pollen
From the report from the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America, Best Cities to Live to Avoid Pollen
- Buffalo
- Seattle
- Cleveland
- Austin
- Washington D.C.
- Detroit
- Albuquerque
- Columbus
- Salt Lake City