Roommate situations are typically associated with urban living but, with the cost of living sky-high and renter affordability low, several suburbs and outer commuter areas are seeing huge uplifts in interest from roommates.
While some US metro areas are seeing rent continue to climb, Phoenix's rental market is proving more stable. As the chart below shows, roommate rent today is down from its peak two years ago and falling 3.1% year over year, according to Q2 2026 data released by roommate site SpareRoom.
However, rent is still inflated way above the levels seen pre-pandemic, and that's causing some roommates to consider a move further outside the city, in search of more affordable rent.
Based on analysis of more than 16 million area searches by roommates using SpareRoom in 2025 compared to the previous year, these are the locations that offer a less-than-45-minute daily commute to central Phoenix and have seen a more-than-50% increase in roommate interest in the past year:
- Tolleson (+89%)
- El Mirage (75%)
- Laveen (+70%)
- Peoria (+69%)
- Avondale-Goodyear (+62%)
- Mesa (+61%)
Two areas with longer commute times in the outer commuter belt, Buckeye (+130%) and Queen Creek (+106%), have both seen even higher increases in roommate interest. Even Casa Grande, some 50 miles south of Phoenix (+53%), has grabbed roommates' attention while searches for 'Phoenix AZ' in the same period held steady (-1%).
Matt Hutchinson, director of roommate site SpareRoom, comments: “Rent in Phoenix isn't rising, but the bubble hasn't burst yet either. Prices are still inflated way above pre-pandemic levels and, now, with the high cost of living eroding any disposable income, roommates are forced to get creative about where they might want to live.
“But it's not all financially motivated. We also know that Phoenix roommates are getting older. The share of under 35s - the cohort most typically associated with roommate situations - has fallen as the proportion of older roommates has risen. And not everyone wants to live in the city forever. If you find yourself sharing in your 50s, 60s or beyond, as is happening more and more, you might want to explore new neighborhoods, and different ways of living.”