Sex & Relationships

Shacking up in NYC won’t save you a lot of money

New York couples thinking about celebrating Valentine’s Day by moving in together should do it for love, not money.

Shacking up saves huge rent bucks in almost every major US city — except the Big Apple.

An analysis by the real-estate firm Trulia.com of what it called “The Shacking-Up Discount” found that city-dwelling lovebirds in the United States save an average of 35 percent when they swap their one-bedroom apartments for a single two-bedroom in the same building.

But New Yorkers save only 28 percent, the lowest discount of 25 major cities.

Best in the country is Sacramento. In the California capital, sweethearts can save 40 percent by moving in together to a two-bedroom.

Other high-discount shack-up cities are Las Vegas and Riverside-San Bernardino, Calif., (discount of 39 percent) as well as Baltimore, Phoenix, San Diego and Portland, Ore. (savings of 38 percent).

Those are significant numbers when you consider that if a couple just dumps one of their one-bedrooms and lives together in the other they save only 50 percent, assuming the rents are the same.

“Housing costs and economics affect whether people get roommates, live with their parents or — yes — move in with their sweethearts,” said Jed Kolko Trulia’s chief economist.

“In general, living together saves money — but that depends on how many bedrooms you upgrade to and where you live.”

And what happens if lovers trade way up — to a three-bedroom apartment?

Answer: There’s no discount at all in New York.

New Yorkers actually pay more — 2 percent more — for a coveted three-bedroom than they do for two one-bedrooms, the study found.

The only other major city where moving in together into a three-bedroom means more rent is Dallas, where it also costs 2 percent more.

“In Chicago, it’s a wash,” Trulia said.

In contrast, shacking up in a three-bedroom saves 24 percent in Las Vegas and 23 percent in Miami. The national average is a 12 percent discount.

“In general, the shacking-up discount is slimmer in metros where overall rents are higher,” notes Trulia.

New York has a median rent of $3,000 for a two-bedroom, exceeded only by San Francisco’s $3,350, according to the survey.