Would You Rather?

Would You Rather: Live with a same-sex or opposite-sex roommate?

By Mayra David  | February 14, 2014 - 1:59PM
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Having roommates is often a fact of life in this pricey city.  We asked six New Yorkers whether they'd rather live with a roommate of the same sex or the opposite sex?

  • Same sex - I’d rather have another girl living with me because I’m just more comfortable with that. Then I don’t have to worry about dressing each time I leave my room. If I want to walk from my bedroom to the bathroom in my underwear, I can. I’ve always gotten along well with my roommates to the point where we’d help each other out if we needed anything--from shampoo to shoes! - April, Harlem
  • Opposite sex - It would make for a nice dynamic, I think. Not that I’m looking for some cheesy rom com meet-cute. But I know that living with guys, unless you’re tight with each other, it’s just like having a stranger in the house.  With a girl, maybe there will be a homier feel or something. - Joey, Washington Heights
  • Opposite sex - I live with two girls now and I love it.  We’ve lived together for a while now, and they moved in with me after my guy roommate moved out. The differences are vast. The girls love to cook for all three of us. They love to entertain, just like I do. But our parties are so much better than before when just us guys were in charge of food. Now there’s planning of menus. They bought a barbeque to use on our roof and they also plant stuff on the roof like tomatoes and herbs and that makes the place look nice. We have boundaries, but we also like to hang out together. It’s like I’m living in "Three’s Company." -Stephen, Upper West Side
  • Same sex - Girls aren’t necessarily cleaner than guys, no matter what anybody says. I have a sister and I know about living with girls. They take longer in the bathroom and they do expect you to do all the heavy lifting like taking the trash out, and putting all the A/C’s in the windows. Unless the person is actually my significant other, I’m not going to live with a member of the opposite sex. -Jay, Astoria
  • Opposite sex - My first roommate was a guy and we got along well. We found each other through Craigslist so we didn’t know each other before. Neither of us was looking for a buddy to hang out with. We had separate entrances from each of our large rooms, so we never really saw each other. Then I roomed with a girl, and even though I told her at our interview that I wasn’t looking for somebody to hang out with, she was just all over the apartment! A million beauty products in the bathroom, picture frames in the kitchen, and photos stuck to the fridge. She was super friendly, always knocking on my door, asking me to critique her outfit, or giving me coupons for sales at random stores. She was friendly but just too much. I live with a guy again, and there’s just that boundary that keeps things quiet. - Ann Marie, Morningside Heights
  • Same sex - I’m much happier living with another girl now. Before I lived with a guy. He wasn’t messy (in fact my female roommate now is a bit messier, I’d say) but he was dirty! He didn’t have his crap lying around all over the place, but he’d leave a bowl in the sink for days! Or one pair of dirty socks bundled up in the corner of the sofa--for weeks! I hated how icky the bathroom got. And the constant smell of pot was just too much. -Meghan, Clinton

Result : Same-sex roommates: 3, Opposite-sex roommates: 3

Verdict: It’s a tie!

See all Would You Rather

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