ORLANDO, Fla. — Sharing an apartment could save Orlando renters nearly $700 a month compared with living alone, according to a new analysis.
StorageCafe ranked Orlando as the 15th-best major U.S. city for roommates and No. 2 in Florida, behind Tampa.
The self-storage search company estimates that an Orlando renter can save approximately $8,300 annually by splitting the cost of a two-bedroom apartment instead of renting a one-bedroom alone.
Roommates can significantly reduce housing costs
According to the study, someone renting a one-bedroom alone in Orlando spends about 35% of their income on rent. That crosses the commonly used affordability threshold of 30%.
Splitting a two-bedroom apartment reduces the estimated share to approximately 20%.
Orlando roommates also average about 499 square feet of living space per person, according to the analysis. That is slightly less than the 501 square feet calculated for Tampa roommates but more than the available space in Miami, New York, Boston and San Francisco.
The report found strong local interest in shared housing. Orlando generated approximately 1,950 roommate-related online searches, the highest volume among the Florida cities analyzed and the 12th-highest total nationally.
How Orlando compares with other Florida cities
Tampa earned the highest ranking in Florida and placed fourth nationally. The study estimates Tampa renters can save about $9,200 annually by sharing a two-bedroom.
Orlando ranked ahead of Miami at No. 21 and Jacksonville at No. 43.
The estimated annual savings were approximately $7,680 in Miami. While Jacksonville roommates had slightly more personal space, the city finished lower when researchers considered overall savings, housing availability and quality-of-life factors.
StorageCafe also factored storage availability and price into the ranking. A 5-by-5 storage unit in Orlando costs an average of about $44 per month, among the lowest prices recorded for the highest-ranked cities.
How the cities were ranked
StorageCafe analyzed the country’s 100 most populous cities using housing, economic and demographic information.
The company considered:
- Estimated savings from sharing a two-bedroom
- Rent as a percentage of income
- Roommate prevalence and online search interest
- Personal living space
- Apartment amenities
- Access to entertainment, parks and other quality-of-life features
- Availability and cost of self storage
The company said its final ranking was calculated using a weighted score across the different categories.
Nationally, renters save an average of about $6,700 annually by sharing a two-bedroom instead of renting a one-bedroom alone, according to the report.
Nearly 5.6 million renter households across the country currently share housing, a 21% increase over the past decade.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2026 Cox Media Group
