Nearly 30% of San Diego rental listings for roommates don't have living rooms

Curating that enviable home design is only be a dream for many as high rent is killing America's living rooms.

The big picture: Many roommates are trading shared space for lower per-person housing costs.

• A quarter of shared rental listings on SpareRoom last year came without access to living rooms, up from 9% five years ago, data shows.

Zoom in: In San Diego, 28% of those listings didn't include living room space.

• That's 7th highest among major metro areas.

Between the lines: In some cases, what was once a living room has been physically converted into an extra bedroom.

• Packing more bedrooms into an apartment lets landlords spread rents across more people, potentially lowering the cost per renter.

Yes, but: Losing communal areas can strain roommate relationships and weigh on renters' mental health.

Keep reading