> By pooling four incomes (two six figure tech salaries and two low five figure academia/architecture) we can afford places with enough living space to be comfortable.
I'm surprised people with six-figure salaries are sharing. Is that common?
I'm surprised people with six-figure salaries are sharing. Is that common?
Having roommates in one's thirties extends childhood much too far.
For me, density is the enemy, and being near nature is the goal. Unfortunately, jobs are in the city and not in the woods.
I could Uber to Cambridge, round-trip, twice weekly to go out with friends and still be racking up significantly less expenses than I did when I lived in Davis.
Others have noted the high rent/mortgage prices in the Cambridge/Somerville area. However, each couple could afford the rent on a one or two bedroom. We're privileged to be able to do so; however we choose not to.
Two of the four of us have experienced solitary (i.e. One bedroom, no roommates) living. We all prefer coming home to an occupied house with a pseudo-family.
For my partner and I, children are about a decade away due to the constraints of grad school, early career, and general desire to spend time together before adding a third or fourth person to the mix! Similar feelings lie with the other couple. As such, a traditional family is quite some time away for any of us.
Neither do any of us want to live with our parents for obvious reasons.
And living with just our partner feels, in both cases, a bit too isolated at this point in our life.
I suppose it comes down to the desire for family, togetherness, community. We each have three people on whom we can rely and with whom we live. It's comforting and enjoyable.
Of course we can also save significant money because we split one Internet bill, one rent, and one utility bill. Closer quarters living seems to be a bit more cost-efficient on the heating front. This compounds with the money saved by not owning a car and the economic benefits of easy access to the city's job market.
EDIT: I realize I didn't answer your question! I'm sorry.
It's common among my group of 24-28 year olds who are a mix of grad students and professionals. Most people have at least one non-partner roommate. I cannot think of one person who lives alone in the city.
I do have friends and relatives with apartments in the suburbs who live alone. They tend to have similar feelings to sibling posts here about "being an adult", a very strong desire to own property, and/or cannot stand the cleanliness issues that arise with roommates.