What are the pros & cons of living alone?

Living alone is referred to as a dream, even a luxury. A mark of distinction rather than a social failure, it no longer suggests an isolated or less-social life. It’s actually sought-after. It promotes freedom, personal control, and self-realization – all prized aspects of contemporary life.

In fact, people who live alone are often more socially active. Big cities often go hand in hand with the work hard, play hard motto and a jam-packed social schedule.

With so much going on, roommates can become ships that pass in the night. Living separate lives with conflicting schedules can lead to a communication breakdown.

Or the added pressure to make an effort when you just don’t have the time.

In effect, you’re in a co-living relationship with a roommate.

So if the relationship isn’t serving you, maybe you’d be better off living alone.

Roommate roulette

The circumstances in which you find a potential roommate can be random and risky.

If you’re moving to a new city, chances are you’ll be searching and replying to ads online (with the inevitable awkward ‘interview’ stage).

Or looking for leads through your social network. A tip-off from a friend-of-a-friend can offer some reassurance.

But whether it’s a roommate found through six-degrees of separation, or a snap decision to move in with someone unknown – it’s unpredictable. Coliving houses typically have a screening process but even the most complex formula can not predict what clashes may arise when a neat freak and a couch potato share a living room.

Sometimes moving in with a stranger can work well. You might end up with life-long friends that enrich your personal life.

And make coming home after a bad day at work something to look forward to.

But good things don’t last forever, and people come and go more frequently in bigger cities. It can be exhausting to look for a replacement roommate and manage yet another rental relationship.

The most important thing to avoid is a toxic roommate relationship. This can negatively impact your career and your health, with the cost meaning your paying rent for it.

Living alone comes at a cost

If we can afford to live alone, we do. Living alone in a city can be dependent on if you have the financial means to do so. It may mean sacrificing spending in other areas to afford the luxury of independent living.

Some people work their way around it by moving further out of the city while still being connected by transit.

Others compromise on space, settling into studios or smaller one-bedroom apartments.

Choosing where to live is an important decision. Finding the right neighborhood can make or break your experience in a city. Neighborhoods have their unique selling points to weigh up when figuring out if they will match your lifestyle. A no-brainer factor is how long your commute time would be.

And the types of people that live nearby, often indicating what kinds of amenities will be on the doorstep.

So once you’ve figured out what area you want to live in, deciding whether to live alone or with roommates is on the cards.

Here are five reasons you can benefit from living alone:

Privacy, peace, and quiet

Enjoy time to yourself with plenty of space to work relax or entertain in.

If you’re around people all day at work, it’s a comfort to arrive home to complete privacy – the apartment is yours.

Roommates can get in the way of you doing what you want when you want, like:

• Taking an extra long shower
• Cooking any time of the day
• Putting a wash on at midnight
• Blasting your Spotify playlist
• Eating takeaway pizza in your pajamas
• Having your family over or spending time with friends
• Working at home without distraction
• Silence

An empty kitchen

If you’ve lived with roommates, no doubt your familiar with those days you’re dying to get home to cook, but someone beat you to it. They’ve taken up all the stove space and you’re starving.

Maybe you’re having a night in, but your roommates invited people over for dinner and they’ve taken over the kitchen.

How about those soul-destroying moments when you reach into the fridge to discover someones nabbed one of your ingredients, or used up all the oil. Just sit back and imagine the prospect of a fully equipped, food thief-free kitchen, all to yourself.

No more home maintenance sore points

It’s hard to avoid tension over who-pays-what and managing household cleaning.

Home maintenance is hassle-free in a furnished Blueground rental. It’s easy for tenants who live alone to schedule cleaning or manage bills directly through the Guest App. It’s not so easy with roommates.

A utility bill is in your name and a roommate hasn’t paid, even though you sent them a reminder by text and email.

Someone’s left their laundry in the machine and you really need put a wash on. That cleaning schedule you all agreed too – someone’s not sticking to it. That just scratches the surface of home maintenance gone wrong when you’re not living alone.

Difference of opinion

This can be wide-ranging. From interior design tastes to acceptable levels of noise, or what to watch on the television – roommates don’t always see eye to eye.

When a nerve is struck, there is no escaping when it’s at home. Living alone gives you the freedom to decorate your apartment in your own style and decide when it’s lights out.

You control the costs

You are the only person culpable for the utility costs which means you can manage your money more effectively.

Though living alone is more expensive, you won’t have to worry about compromising on when to schedule the heating or deal with a housemate that won’t let you put it on. You can optimize energy usage to your own schedule, and not deal with the frustration of a roommate with a habit of leaving the lights on.

Guidelines for how to live alone

• Seek out extra security measures (that may be a door chain or an alarm system)
• Remain in regular contact with friends and significant others (kick-off healthy social habits with a housewarming)
• Meet your neighbors (you never know when you’ll need someone to water the plants while you’re on holiday)
• Decorate (if you’re renting unfurnished) or bring in personal mementos (if you’re renting furnished)
• Explore the neighborhood and make yourself a regular at the local corner shop, cafe, or diner