How to use the rent split calculator
- Type the rent per month for the whole home, and the utilities if you share those too. Utilities are always split equally, on top of the rent.
- Choose a method: Equally, By room size or By income.
- Add everyone, up to 8 people. Names are optional. For a split by room size, type each bedroom's size in square feet or square meters. For a split by income, type each person's income.
- Tick Room extras if someone pays more for a private bathroom, a parking space or a bigger closet, and type that amount per month.
The shares update as you type. Copy result gives a plain list you can paste into a group chat or a house agreement.
How to split rent with roommates: three methods
There is no single fair rent split. Three methods are common:
| Method | Each person pays | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Equally | Rent ÷ number of people | Rooms of about the same size |
| By room size | An equal part of the shared space plus their own room | Bedrooms of clearly different sizes |
| By income | The same percentage of their income | Couples, or friends who earn very different amounts |
Room extras work with any method. A fixed monthly amount for a feature only one person gets is taken off the rent first, the rest is split by the method you chose, and that person pays their extra on top. With $2,400 rent split equally between 3, and a $150 premium for the room with its own bathroom, $2,250 is shared ($750 each), so the person with the bathroom pays $900 and the other two pay $750.
Rent split calculator based on room size (by square footage)
Splitting by bedroom size alone would make the person with the smallest room pay least for the kitchen and living room too, though everyone uses them the same. So the calculator treats the home as two parts:
- Shared space (kitchen, living room, hall, shared bathroom) is split equally.
- Private space (the bedrooms) is split in proportion to each bedroom's size.
The shared part of the rent is the shared area divided by the whole home's area. When you type the home size, the calculator works that out for you and shows it in the Shared part box. Per person:
share = rent × (your bedroom + shared area ÷ number of people) ÷ whole home area
For example, $2,400 rent in a 1,000 sq ft home with three bedrooms:
| Person | Bedroom | Shared part | Room part | Pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alex | 150 sq ft | $504.00 | $360.00 | $864.00 |
| Jordan | 120 sq ft | $504.00 | $288.00 | $792.00 |
| Riley | 100 sq ft | $504.00 | $240.00 | $744.00 |
| Total | 370 sq ft | $1,512.00 | $888.00 | $2,400.00 |
The shared area is 1,000 − 370 = 630 sq ft, or 63% of the home, so $1,512 of the rent is shared ($504 each). The other $888 covers 370 sq ft of bedrooms, which is $2.40 per square foot. With $180 of utilities split equally, each person adds $60.
No home size? Leave it empty and the whole rent is split in proportion to bedroom size: $2,400 for the same rooms is $972.97, $778.38 and $648.65. That gives the big room a much larger share, which is why counting shared space is usually seen as fairer. Your own shared share: if you would rather agree a figure, such as half the rent for shared space, type it in the Shared part box and it is used instead of the sizes.
Split rent with a partner by income
With a split based on income, each person pays the same percentage of what they earn. Each share = rent × your income ÷ everyone's income added together. Partners on $4,000 and $2,000 a month sharing $1,800 rent pay $1,200 and $600: 30% of each income. Use the same kind of income for both, such as monthly take-home pay.
The same method works for groceries and household bills. For a one-off bill with tax and tip, the split bill calculator also splits by income.
Rent split calculator UK: flatmates and rent per calendar month
UK rents are usually quoted per calendar month (pcm), and room sizes in square meters. The method is the same. For £1,500 pcm in a 70 m² flat with bedrooms of 12, 10 and 9 m², the shared area is 39 m², so each flatmate pays £1,500 × (room + 13) ÷ 70:
| Flatmate | Bedroom | Pays pcm |
|---|---|---|
| Ali | 12 m² | £535.71 |
| Beth | 10 m² | £492.86 |
| Cal | 9 m² | £471.43 |
If the rent is quoted per week, multiply by 52 and divide by 12 to get a monthly figure before you split it.
Whole cents that add up to the rent
Each share is first rounded down to the cent. The few cents left over, never more than one per person, go to the people whose exact share was closest to the next cent up. In an equal split, where every exact share is the same, they go to the people listed first. So $2,000 between 3 is $666.67, $666.67 and $666.66, and the page marks who pays the extra cent with a star. The shares always add up to the rent exactly, so nobody has to cover a shortfall of a few cents.
Special cases
- A couple in one room. To have them pay one share of the shared space, enter them as one row and split their amount between them. To have each pay a full share of the shared space, enter two rows with half the room each.
- Bedrooms larger than the home. The home size must include the bedrooms. If the bedrooms add up to more, the calculator says so.
- Someone with no income. In a split by income they pay nothing. At least one income must be above 0.
- The lease. This split is an agreement between you. Who owes the landlord is set by your lease or tenancy agreement.
Questions and answers
What is the fairest way to split rent?
There is no single answer. Equal is simplest when rooms are similar. By room size suits bedrooms of different sizes, with shared space split equally. By income suits couples or friends with very different pay. Try each here and agree one together.
How do you split rent by square footage?
Split the shared area equally and the bedrooms by size: each pays rent x (bedroom + shared area / people) / whole home area. In a 1,000 sq ft home with $2,400 rent, a 150 sq ft bedroom with two others of 120 and 100 sq ft pays $864.
How much more should the bigger room pay?
With the room-size method, the difference is the rent per square foot of private space times the difference in size. In the example on this page that is $2.40 per sq ft, so a room 50 sq ft bigger pays $120 more a month.
How do I split rent with my partner based on income?
Divide the rent by your combined income, then multiply by each income. With $1,800 rent and incomes of $4,000 and $2,000 a month, you pay $1,200 and $600, or 30% of each income.
How much extra for a private bathroom?
There is no standard figure; it is something you agree. Type the agreed monthly amount as a room extra: it is taken off the rent first, and the person with the bathroom pays it on top of their share of the rest.
Sources
Checked on 8 October 2026. If a rule has changed, please tell us.