Per person is the default
For most groups, divide the total by the number of adults staying. Each person consumes one share of the house — kitchen, pool, living room — regardless of sleeping arrangement. This is the method to use unless the rooms are dramatically unequal.
When to split by room instead
If one couple gets a master suite with an ocean view and someone else gets a bunk in the hallway nook, a flat per-person split feels wrong. Weight the rooms: price each room like a mini hotel (the suite is worth, say, 1.5× the small room), split each room's cost among its occupants, and keep shared-space costs even. Couples sharing a bed usually still pay per person — two people, two shares — but a couple squeezed into the worst room can fairly argue for a discount.
Cleaning fees, service fees, and taxes
Split them evenly. Everyone benefits from the clean house and everyone triggered the booking fee, so weighting these by room adds complexity without adding fairness.
A worked example
A $1,200 rental for 6 people: $1,000 lodging + $200 in fees. Even method: $200 each. By room: the master (2 people) is weighted to $400, the two standard rooms (2 people each) $300 each; fees stay even at $33.33. The master couple pays $233.33 each; everyone else pays $183.33. One number changes, resentment doesn't survive the trip.
Collect it in Divvy
- 1Create a trip groupWhoever booked adds everyone by name — no app or signup needed for the group.
- 2Add the reservationEnter the Airbnb total and assign shares — even, or weighted by room.
- 3Let the rest of the trip roll inScan grocery runs and dinners into the same group. One balance, not five spreadsheets.
- 4Request everyone's shareOne tap sends each person a Venmo or Cash App request for exactly what they owe.
