Half of new couples in Utah say they moved in together early because of money, survey says

It’s money, not love, driving half of new Utah couples to move in together sooner than planned, according to a new survey.

The survey of 2,000 couples nationwide, conducted for the mattress-review website Mattress Clarity, found 44 percent of couples across America start living together sooner rather than later because of financial reasons — like the urge to save money on rent. Utah’s rate is 50 percent, higher than the national average.

The move isn’t always a wise one, couples in the survey found: One in 10 admitted they moved in sooner than they wanted to and regretted it.

When do couples move in together? On average nationally, the survey said, pairs start living together when they have been a couple for 13 months.

The biggest source of friction for newly cohabitating couples is the need for one’s own space, a complaint made by just over 30 percent of respondents. Nearly a quarter of those surveyed said the biggest problem is the other person’s cleanliness or the lack of it.

Household assignments are not divided equally. The survey found women did most of the laundry in 80 percent of the couples, and most of the cleaning in 68 percent of the couples. Men did most of the cooking in 44 percent of the couples.

Just under 60 percent of the couples surveyed said they saw their friends less in the first months living together.