When I graduated from uni and moved into Toronto to work, I wasn't making much money and couldn't afford my own place. I got hooked up with an acquaintance by a mutual friend who was also looking for a room mate. We wound up renting a nice two bedroom with 2 baths than neither of us could have afforded but together we could. It worked out really well.

Some things that helped. We split the cost of a cleaning service every 2 weeks so that neither of us were stuck with heavy cleaning. We didn't see eachother all that much during the week but we made a point of having dinner together every Sun. night and took turns cooking it. We decided we'd each buy our own food and no sharing, so there was no arguing over who was paying more than their fair share or what. We eventually became quite good friends. Altogether we lived together in that apartment for about 3 years then moved in with a 3'rd person and rented a town house together for another 3 years.

If you're clear about things like bills and cleaning and upfront expectations sharing can be a great way to save money on housing.

--splitimage