Reducing the Rent

Where can sharing an apartment save you the most money in DFW?

One of the biggest benefits of a roomie is saving some serious cash on rent.

Courtesy photo

A roommate undoubtedly can provide companionship — going halfsies on a pepperoni-and-mushroom pizza, watching Game of Thrones together, crying on each other’s shoulders over a breakup. But let’s be honest: One of the biggest benefits of a roomie is saving some serious cash on rent.

So, if you’re looking to share an apartment with a roommate, which spot in Dallas-Fort Worth delivers the most bang for the rental buck? The data scientists at RentHop, an online marketplace for apartment rentals, have the answer.

According to their new study, Arlington yields the most savings when splitting the rent for a two-bedroom apartment versus occupying a one-bedroom apartment by yourself. The study shows there’s a savings of 40.1 percent in Arlington between the solo one-bedroom option ($1,210 a month) and the shared two-bedroom option ($1,450 a month, divided in half).

Here are the areas in DFW that rank right behind Arlington in terms of savings between the solo one-bedroom option and the shared two-bedroom option:

Glencoe Park — 38.7 percent savings; $1,489 for a one-bedroom, $1,825 for a two-bedroom (divided in half)
Tarrant County — 38.67 percent savings; $938 for a one-bedroom, $1,150 for a two-bedroom (divided in half)
Fort Worth — 36.24 percent savings; $1,198 for a one-bedroom, $1,527 for a two-bedroom (divided in half)
Vickery — 34.82 percent savings; $806 for a one-bedroom, $1,050 for a two-bedroom (divided in half)

For all the DFW neighborhoods covered by the RentHop study, the typical savings was 34.9 percent.

The savings were substantially lower in a number of DFW neighborhoods, though. The study shows there’s only a 7.09 percent difference in rent between the solo one-bedroom option ($1,318 a month) and the shared two-bedroom option ($2,449 a month, divided in half) in the City Center District.

Other less desirable DFW neighborhoods for saving money on the solo one-bedroom option versus the shared two-bedroom option are:

Henderson — 7.45 percent savings; $1,050 a month for a one-bedroom, $1,944 for a two-bedroom (divided in half)
North Oaklawn — 10.04 percent savings; $999 for a one-bedroom, $1,798 for a two-bedroom (divided in half)
La Villita — 17.06 percent savings; $1,055 for a one-bedroom, $1,750 for a two-bedroom (divided in half)
Victory Park — 18.61 percent savings; $1,500 for a one-bedroom, $2,441 for a two-bedroom (divided in half)

The only other Texas metro area included in the RentHop study is Houston. Compared with DFW, the opportunities to save money on a solo versus a roommate arrangement are more numerous and more lucrative.

rent lists

happy go lucky plano

Dallas neighbor dazzles on new list of happiest cities in America

Photo courtesy of Visit Plano

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A new happiness study has ranked Plano one of the happiest cities in America this year, and it once again landed on top as the happiest city in Texas.

Plano has moved up on the list and ranks as the 16th happiest U.S. city in 2026. Last year, it was 17th.

WalletHub determined the happiest cities in America based on 29 relevant metrics based on "positive-psychology research" across three main categories: emotional and physical wellbeing, income and employment, and community and environment. As with most WalletHub studies, it compared the 182 most populous U.S. cities.

Fremont, California claimed the top spot as the happiest city nationwide for another year. Bismark, North Dakota and Scottsdale, Arizona, respectfully, rounded out the top three.

Here's how WalletHub ranked Plano across the three key dimensions:

No. 15 – Emotional and physical wellbeing
No. 22 – Community and environment
No. 72 – Income and employment

Plano and its residents have continued improving their city year after year, whether its through opening new bakeries and restaurants, inviting fun pop-ups for locals, or having a strong job market.

Plano's happiness far outshines the rest of North Texas; according to WalletHub, Irving is the 70th happiest city in the country, the third-happiest in Texas, and the second-happiest city in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro. Garland ranked farther behind as No. 92 nationally, and more DFW cities ranked even lower: Grand Prairie (No. 106), Dallas (No. 111), Fort Worth (No. 113), and Arlington (No. 119).

The report additionally found that Dallasites spend the third-most amount of time at work in the nation. The city ranked No. 180 in the national analysis of U.S. cities with the "fewest work hours."

WalletHub also emphasized that money doesn't buy happiness — after a certain point.

"For decades, researchers have explored the science of happiness and identified several core factors, including mental well-being, physical health, strong social ties, job satisfaction, and financial stability," the report said. "Still, income has its limits — studies show that earning more than $75,000 a year does not lead to greater happiness."

Six-figure earners in Plano aren't necessarily as happy as those who don't make as much, as a separate financial study from SmartAsset revealed these big earners are only taking home about $72,653 after taxes and adjusted for the cost of living.

This is how other Texas cities ranked in the report:

No. 39 – Austin
No. 128 – Houston
No. 135 – Lubbock
No. 137 – El Paso
No. 140 – Laredo
No. 143 – Amarillo
No. 150 – Brownsville
No. 154 – San Antonio
No. 155 – Corpus Christi

wallethub plano reports