As you weigh your decision, one of your considerations is logistical practicalities. To that end, it may be worth it to know that moving in together, with all its emotional and romantic perks, also comes with some major financial bonuses. According to an analysis by the tuxedo and suit rental company, The Black Tux, couples cohabitating in large cities (think San Francisco, New York, Boston, and Washington, D.C.) can save each person as much as $955 per month. (That’s a great starting deposit for your emergency fund.) The numbers vary by city, with Bostonians saving an average of $702 per person. Not all cohabitating couples will save that much money, of course. In smaller cities and cities with lower average costs of living, couples moving in together will save less. But proportionally to income, they’re still saving a good bit of money. In Memphis, Tennessee, couples will save $333 each; in Cincinnati, Ohio, they’ll save $272 each. Black Tux does make a series of assumptions in calculating these numbers. Most noticeably, it assumes that each partner would be moving from living alone in a one-bedroom apartment to sharing a two-bedroom apartment. Many couples likely share a one-bedroom at first, so the savings would be even larger for them. Also, many people move from living with roommates to living with an S.O., in which case their savings may be smaller, as they weren’t paying to live alone to start. It’s worth repeating that financial reasons should not drive this important decision. But if money is part of the conversation, you can see the full list of average savings per cohabitator in the largest 50 metropolitan areas in the U.S. as ranked by Black Tux.
