Rent split calculator
Split rent evenly, by room size, by income, or by the days each person actually lives there.
Enter the monthly rent to see the split.
Rent is the split people argue about, because an even split is only fair when the rooms and the incomes are roughly even. Enter the rent, choose a method, and the calculator shows what each person pays.
Four methods cover almost every household: evenly, by room size, by income, and prorated by days for someone moving in or out mid-month.
By room size
The most common fix for an uneven apartment. Measure each bedroom, enter the square footage, and rent divides in proportion. A 168 sq ft primary bedroom and a 112 sq ft second bedroom split $2,450 into roughly $1,470 and $980.
Square footage alone ignores things people genuinely value, so treat the number as a starting point. An en-suite bathroom, a closet, a window that faces the street, or the room next to the kitchen are all worth adjusting for. A common approach is to compute the size-based split, then move $25–$75 by hand and write down why.
By income
Proportional-to-income splitting is standard for couples and increasingly common between roommates with large pay gaps. Someone earning $90,000 living with someone earning $45,000 pays two thirds of the rent under this method.
It is worth agreeing on the input before you agree on the method: gross or net pay, whether bonuses count, and how often you revisit it when someone's income changes. Households that skip that conversation tend to relitigate the split every raise.
Prorated by days
When someone moves in on the 12th, they owe for the days they occupy the room, not the whole month. Enter the number of days each person is responsible for and the rent divides accordingly.
Use the actual number of days in that month rather than assuming 30, and be explicit about whether the move-in day itself counts. Landlords differ, and the difference is real money on a $3,000 apartment.
Put it in writing
Whichever method you choose, write it down somewhere both people can see: the method, the inputs it used, and the date you agreed. Most roommate disputes about rent are not about arithmetic — they are about one person remembering the agreement differently a year later.
Questions
- How should roommates split rent fairly?
- Evenly is fair when the rooms and incomes are comparable. When they aren't, splitting by room size is the most common adjustment, and splitting by income is standard for couples or large pay gaps. Any of them is fair if everyone agreed to it before moving in.
- How do I split rent by room size?
- Measure each bedroom in square feet and enter the figures. Rent divides in proportion to the numbers. Adjust by hand afterwards for an en-suite, a closet, or a noticeably better window.
- Should shared space count in a room-size split?
- Usually not, because everyone uses it equally. If one person's room is the only one without access to a balcony or a second bathroom, handle that as a manual adjustment rather than by inventing a square footage.
- How do I prorate rent for a mid-month move-in?
- Divide by the days each person is responsible for in that month. Use the real number of days in the month, and agree in advance whether the move-in date itself is charged.
- Is splitting rent by income actually fair?
- It is a defensible method, not the only one. It equalises the burden rather than the amount, which is why couples often prefer it. Agree on whether the figure is gross or net, and how often you revisit it.
- What about utilities and the deposit?
- Utilities are often split by a different method than rent — evenly, or by days present when someone travels. The deposit is usually split the same way as rent, and it matters that whoever contributed what is written down before anyone moves out.
When one calculation isn’t enough
A calculator answers a single question. Make It Even keeps the answer current: add expenses as they happen, split each one however it needs to be split, and everyone sees the running balance. It handles multiple currencies using the exchange rate from each expense’s own date, so old totals never drift.
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