Many of us who are gay and single are usually successful professionals that live alone usually in apartments bigger than what we need or live with people we aren’t comfortable with and want to find a room to rent. Any of us who have had this living situation have contemplated – should I find a roommate, preferably a gay roommate? So I’ve put together a list of 3 reasons to stop thinking about doing it and just do it:

1. You can split costs. This is obviously numero uno. You can split your rent, utilities, food, etc. This in turn allows you to either afford a better place to live because you split the costs or a higher standard of living.
2. You’re not alone. Living by yourself, even if you’re Mr. or Ms. Independent can get lonely. A roommate keeps things interesting.
3. Finding love? That’s right, especially in the gay community. Our roommates may end up being quite a bit more if we’re lucky.

Even if you don’t live with a gay roommate, remember that many women prefer to live with gay men. Many gay men don’t want gay roommates, but want straight roommates because they want to separate their home life from everything else. It’s up to you whether you want a gay roommate or a straight roommate but either way, it’s very likely to save you money.

Once you’ve decided you want a roommate, the next question is where can I find a gay roommate (or a straight one for that matter)?

Well there are only a handful of places you can find one. Offline you can find one in your local newspaper or gay magazines but I prefer online because you get more bang for your buck. Here are a few:

Pride Roommates – Probably the most popular gay roommate site is focused exclusively on the gay community – lesbians, gay men, transsexuals, bisexuals, the whole shebang. I’ve used it myself and I successfully found a gay roommate a few years ago with it. It’s free to post a roommate listing and even better it’s also free to send messages. There is a negligible fee for $2.95 to exchange contact info in those messages but being able to send messages and at least get to know the person first is by far the best system I’ve come across. Plus they’ve been around for years, good rep.

RainbowRoommates.com- A very nice site but only focused mostly on NY. Not as much freedom as other sites. You can preview listings free but can’t contact anyone and to do so is upwards of $30

Sublet.com - You can preview roommate listings and sublets but is not geared toward the gay community. Technology looks very old, over $15 to communicate with other members.

Roomster.com - Not geared toward gay roommates but rather mixes up straight and gay roommates. Also, can’t send messages until you pay and it’s around $20 per month

However you end up finding your gay roommate, I suggest you do. It might lead to more than you ever dreamed.