How to split expenses as a couple or in a shared flat
Equal shares or proportional to what each person earns: how to split rent and bills without arguments and know who owes whom.
Two ways to split
Equal shares is the simplest and works when everyone earns about the same. Proportional to income is fairest when they don't: each person contributes the same percentage of what they earn.
Example of a proportional split
Illustrative example: if shared costs for the month come to €1,000 and one person earns twice as much as the other, the first contributes two thirds (about €667) and the second one third (about €333). Both put in the same proportion of their pay, and neither is stretched too thin.
To avoid trouble
- Agree on what counts as a shared cost (rent, utilities, groceries) and what is personal.
- Record each expense when it happens and who paid; otherwise nobody remembers at the end of the month.
- Settle up once a month: add up what each person put in and see who pays whom.
- If someone also sends money to their family, take it into account when setting the percentage: it is a real commitment.
Automatic settling up
In Remesia you create a household, invite your partner or flatmates, and the app works out what each person owes according to what they contribute, and who needs to pay whom to be even.