Living in a big city in
Paris practically requires you to find a roommate. If you can't afford to live on your own in the French capital, sharing your space with someone else will be the way to go. But like everything else, it has its pros and cons. Suppose you're in a position where you can still live on your own but find that it might be better to share your apartment instead, think hard before you decide. Some pros of having a roommate include lower expenses and making new friends. A few cons, however, are limiting your space and sharing your home with a stranger.
Pros
Lower Costs
Perhaps the most obvious benefit to
finding a roommate in Paris is you only get lower costs. Or rather, half the costs. Since you’re sharing the space with another person, it's only fair that you also share the rent, utility costs, and at times, even food and other miscellaneous fees. This is the unspoken rule about leasing a property with someone else. Many would even specifically aim to live with a roommate for this precise reason. And considering that the
living costs in Paris are high, sharing them with your roommate will make it easier for you to save money here.
Make New Friends
Getting a roommate is another great way to find and make new friends. Naturally, the first one is your actual roommate. Isn't it better to befriend the person you'll be living with in your long-term rental in Paris? Even if you'll only live with them for a short while, no longer than a year, it's still better to be friends with them. This will also make it easier for you to communicate with them, especially when it comes to paying the rent and other expenses. At the same time, you could also meet their friends. Who knows? You might even meet
the one through your roommate!
There's Someone to Help You
Living in a
luxury apartment in Paris, no matter how high-class a home it is, often comes with its own set of problems. The pipe under the sink might burst, the walls in your bedroom need a new coat of paint, or the bathroom door gets jammed. As already mentioned, living in Paris will cost a lot of money. What more when you need to have something fixed in your home? It's always cheaper to do it yourself and if you have a roommate, they can always help. In fact, they should help if the repair concerns both parties.
You'll Feel More Secure
As beautiful a city as Paris is, the cold hard truth is that it's far from the safest city in the world. The
crime rates in Paris tend to skew high, rarely getting as low as a single-digit rate. Thus, the safer you are at home, the better. And what better way to stay safe than to live with someone who can help you at any time? Your roommate in Paris can help you in more ways than one, not just with the costs and repairs. They can also call for help in times of emergency, which is always a huge plus!
Cons
Bigger Risk of Non-Payment
Although sharing your rent with your roommate is one of the best benefits of sharing your apartment with someone else, especially in an expensive city like Paris, it still comes with its own set of problems. Most commonly, the risk of non-payment. You may be able to pay rent on time every month, but what about your roommate? Even if you assured that your roommate can afford to pay half the rent before you agreed to sign the lease with them or let them move in, that still doesn't guarantee that they'll be able to pay on time every month.
Less Privacy
Moving to Paris means living in one of the most crowded cities in the world. Around 11 million people live in the city's metropolitan area alone, what more when you consider the
Paris Suburbs too? As such, privacy is as much a luxury here as is living in a penthouse with great city views. Naturally, living with a roommate lessens your privacy in your own residence. Even if you each get a bedroom, you'll still have to share the living room, the kitchen, the common bathrooms, and more. Do you think you can handle all that?
They Might Make More Mess For You
When you look for a roommate, be it in Paris or anywhere else in the world, you need to learn as much about them as possible first. Typically, people focus on whether the person can afford to share the rent with you, what their job is, and the like. These are important, sure, but it pays to know info beyond that. How much stuff do they own? Do they know how to cook? And more importantly, how clean are they? There's nothing quite as stressful as a messy roommate. They make more work for you and, as a result, more hassle.
You're Living with Strangers
At the end of the day, living with a roommate means sharing your home with a stranger. You're lucky if you live with a family member or a friend you've known since childhood, but that won't always be the case. In a diverse and crowded city like Paris, you have a bigger chance of getting a stranger with a roommate than someone you know, especially if you're not a local. And no matter how meticulous you are in getting to know them before deciding to live with them, you'll only truly discover who they are when you've lived with them for some time.
If you plan to move to Paris, you might have to consider getting a roommate. There are many pros and cons to sharing your luxury apartment in Paris, ranging from your living costs to your overall safety in the city.
