First address after wedding: Sublet or a small flat of your own?

The wedding is over. Gift boxes still sit unopened, relatives are beginning to head home, and newlyweds face their first real question: where will we live?

For couples in the city without a family home to fall back on — or those who simply want their own space — the choice usually narrows to two options: moving into a sublet within someone else's household, or renting a small flat. Both come with trade-offs, and the decision rarely comes down to money alone.

The sublet appeal: low upfront cost

A single room on sublet in Dhaka typically rents for five to ten thousand taka a month, depending on location and amenities, with electricity and gas bills usually paid separately and split with the host family. Kitchen and bathroom facilities are shared with the main household.

The advantage is a light financial start. There is little need to buy furniture — beds, wardrobes and fans often come included — and there's no hassle over new electricity or gas connections. Couples new to a city or an unfamiliar neighbourhood often get informal support from the host family as well. For those who have just started their careers, or expect to relocate again within a year or two, it can be the more practical choice.

But the cost shows up elsewhere.

Privacy is limited. Timing a trip to the kitchen, waiting for the bathroom, being careful about coming home late, having guests over, even speaking loudly — all of it operates under unwritten house rules. For two people who are just beginning to learn each other's habits, these constraints can quickly turn into pressure, particularly when there's no room to simply shut a door and talk something through. Adding to the risk, sublets are rarely covered by written agreements, leaving tenants with little recourse if rent is suddenly raised or they're asked to leave.

The trade-off with a flat: independence, at a price

A small rented flat offers the opposite: a household on the couple's own terms. When to cook, when to bathe, who comes and goes — none of it has to be negotiated with anyone else. That freedom to build a routine together matters most in the early years of a marriage.

The costs, however, are steeper — and not just in the form of monthly rent.

Renting a flat in Dhaka usually requires one to three months' rent upfront. Then come the essentials: a bed, a wardrobe, kitchen equipment, a refrigerator, fans. Add electricity and gas connection charges, security guard contributions, and lift service fees where applicable, plus the cost of moving itself. Many couples budget only for monthly rent and are blindsided within the first month by expenses running twice as high as expected.

Location drives huge swings in price. A two-room flat in Gulshan or Banani can start at around forty thousand taka and climb steeply from there, while areas like Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Rampura or Jatrabari offer considerably cheaper options. As a rule, rents fall the farther one moves from the city centre — but commuting costs and time rise in turn. Couples who don't factor in both partners' workplaces risk erasing any savings from a cheaper rent.

Questions worth asking first

A few questions can sharpen the decision. What is the couple's combined income, and what share would go toward housing? Economists generally advise keeping rent under one-third of monthly income to leave room for other expenses. How long do they expect to stay in the area — under a year, and a sublet may make more sense? How often will guests, particularly parents or siblings, need space to stay over? And perhaps most important: how much personal space does each partner actually need — a question couples rarely discuss before marriage, though answers vary widely from person to person.

Safeguards, whichever path is chosen

Whichever option a couple picks, certain precautions apply.

Get a written agreement — even for a sublet. Rent amount, included facilities, how bills will be split, and notice period for vacating should all be documented in writing to avoid disputes later. Always collect a receipt after paying rent. Guidance issued by Dhaka's city corporations in 2026 explicitly requires landlords to provide rent receipts, and the same guidance bars rent increases within a two-year period.

When viewing a flat, look beyond the rooms themselves. Water pressure, gas availability, whether the street floods in rain, and whether the route home is safe at night often matter more day-to-day than the rent figure itself. Where possible, a quick word with other tenants in the building can be worthwhile.

Beyond the ledger

One consideration falls outside any spreadsheet. The first year of a new household is a year of adjustment, and financial strain during this period tends to weigh heavily on a relationship. Living comfortably within one's means in a smaller space is generally preferable to stretching for a larger flat and struggling to balance the books each month. At the same time, choosing a place purely to save money — one that leaves a couple with no real space or time to themselves — can wear thin over the long run.

The right balance differs for every couple. Some save for a year in a sublet before moving into their own flat; others prefer independence from day one. There is no single answer that fits everyone — but the decision, wherever they land, is one both partners need to make together, because at the end of the day, it's the address they'll both be coming home to.