Illustration – Berlin, March 7, 2022: A woman wearing sweatpants sits in an armchair and holds a remote control in her hand. Sweatpants are the most popular item of clothing in daily life during the coronavirus pandemic. Photo: Annette Riedl/dpa (Photo by Annette Riedl/picture Alliance via Getty Images)
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Renting an apartment alone is known to be more expensive than living together, but new data shows Portland has one of the highest “single taxes.” It turned out to be.
StreetEasy, a New York-based brand owned by real estate company Zillow Group, found that couples who live in one-bedroom homes save $14,220 more per year than single couples. Conversely, the researchers found that solo renters pay an additional $7,110 per year.
That’s $100 higher than the single-person tax recorded in the United States at this time last year, researchers said. But in big cities, where home prices are highest, the difference is even greater.
New York City ranked #1 for single person taxes. Zillow Group reports that living alone in New York costs an additional $20,100 a year, $600 more than last year.
On the contrary, couples in the city are estimated to save $40,200 a year.
San Francisco, San Jose, Calif., Washington, D.C., and Boston followed as cities with significant housing differences for single renters.
Portland ranks 16th in the nation for single-person taxes. According to the report, those living alone in the Rose City spend an extra $7,670 each year, while co-renters save $15,341.
However, the real estate group said there are also benefits to solo rentals.
Emily McDonald, Zillow’s rental trends expert, said in a statement: “While some renters may be jealous of their friends who are couples and avoid single-family taxes, many renters who rent alone are financially free. “They’re enjoying benefits that go beyond savings.”
“There are no debates over which show to binge-watch next or whose turn it is to clean up after dinner. Still, it’s important for renters to actually find out how much it costs to live alone in their area. It is important to decide whether the price is worth it,” she added.
The company compiled the data using data from Zillow and the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.
