- Westchester County is seeing stronger roommate demand increases than the NYC boroughs, forcing rents up 7% year-over-year in the suburbs.
- The average saved by renting as a roommate in Westchester compared to Manhattan is $6,384 per year.
- In Q1 2026 there were almost 10 roommates enquiring per room available to rent in White Plains.
Westchester County is seeing higher year-over-year room rent increases (+7.1%) and higher rises in demand (+30%) than the NYC boroughs, as pressure mounts from roommates priced out of the city and looking for cheaper accommodation in the suburbs.
That's according to roommate site SpareRoom's quarterly rental index for Q1 2026, which uniquely tracks roommate rents in shared households at the sharp end of America's housing affordability crisis.
In Westchester, the number of enquirers per room available to rent is now 4.4. But zoom in on White Plains and demand is far higher, at 9.9 enquirers per room, and in New Rochelle demand is 7.9 enquirers per room.
Based on rent alone, and before public transit costs are factored in, roommates could save an average $6,384 per year by renting in Westchester over Manhattan. And the annual savings compared to living as a roommate in Brooklyn are $1,848.
The Bronx, still the most affordable New York borough for roommates ($1,169/month), and with cheaper rents, on average, than Westchester, saw the highest level of demand in Q1, with 5.6 enquirers per room. But with rents here rising 4.4% year over year, it may not be affordable for much longer.
| Borough | Average monthly room rent Q1 2026 | Demand* Q1 2026 | Average monthly room rent Q1 2025 | Demand* Q1 2025 | YOY demand change (%) | YOY rent change (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooklyn | $1,454 | 3.2 | $1,370 | 3.0 | 7.1 | 6.1 |
| Manhattan | $1,832 | 3.1 | $1,745 | 2.8 | 13.1 | 5.0 |
| Bronx | $1,169 | 5.6 | $1,120 | 5.7 | -1.1 | 4.4 |
| Queens | $1,242 | 4.5 | $1,210 | 4.7 | -3.9 | 2.6 |
| Westchester County | $1,300 | 4.4 | $1,214 | 3.4 | 30.4 | 7.1 |
*Demand is defined as the number of roommates enquiring per room available to rent on SpareRoom.com
In the year to Q1 2026, roommate rents in the New York metro area rose 4.5% to $1,511/month, as supply fell slightly (-3%) in the same period.
As shown in the chart below, the average rent for New York has come down slightly since Q2 2025 when it hit a record high of $1,530/month, but roommate rents are still much higher than their pre-pandemic levels, and affordability is still a problem.
The table below shows the five US metros - out of the 27 metropolitan areas tracked by SpareRoom - that have seen the highest year-over-year rent change. Record-high rents have been marked. The full table can be viewed here:
| Metro area | Average monthly roommate rent Q1 2026 | Average monthly roommate rent Q1 2025 | Year-over-year % change | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago, IL,IN,WI | $1,037* | $959 | 8.1 |
| 2 | Philadelphia, MD,NJ,PA | $905 | $857 | 5.6 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $1,092* | $1,035 | 5.5 |
| 4 | New York, NJ,NY | $1,511 | $1,446 | 4.5 |
| 5 | San Francisco Bay Area, CA | $1,353* | $1,296 | 4.4 |
Matt Hutchinson, director of roommate site SpareRoom, comments: “Being a roommate is the most affordable way to rent in the city but, after years of rent rises caused by intense demand post pandemic, inner city living is becoming less tenable, even for those sharing. Persistent increases, fueled by low supply relative to high demand for the cheapest accommodation, are squeezing budgets to the point where renters have no choice but to move further out. The Westchester suburbs might offer lower rents and easy access to the city, but public transit costs can be considerably higher, so it's important to weigh up the rent savings.”