Living together or cohabiting before marriage has always been more popular among the urban population of the Western and European countries; but the recent times have seen a rise in cohabiting couples in the rest of the world as well. India, which lives and breathes in its rich traditional values, saw a huge leap towards progress through the judicial ruling which legalized cohabitation or living together before marriage. Recent statistics show that a significant number of the younger generation prefer to live together than get into a marriage without testing the waters first. Some even prefer to forgo the institution of marriage altogether as matrimony just signifies a legal binding to them.
The fact that so many prefer to live together instead of entering into matrimony straightaway somewhere shows that there are certain advantages to this arrangement. If there were none, then there wouldn't have been such a huge number of couples living together in perfect harmony in today’s world. Read on to find some of the advantages of living together before marriage.
No legal bindings: With the increasing number of divorces being filed each day; is it any wonder that couples prefer a test run before the final event? Besides, the word divorce brings alarming images of courtroom visits, the draining out of hard-earned cash, the emotional outbursts and public humiliation, just to name a few. The very fact that there are no legal bindings in a living relationship gives the partners the liberty to live together freely, without worrying about the what-ifs. Many couples freely admit that the fact that there are not bound by legal ties, make them more committed towards each other.
Testing the waters: Living together means a couple can test each other’s compatibility before they enter into the legality of a marriage. It takes a significant amount of time to really know a person. Therefore committing to stay together forever, without knowing if your personalities are compatible, seems to be a huge bet. Just because one loves a person doesn't mean that they will be able to live together forever. But when one is already married, the fact that they are incompatible doesn't give them any options but to either stay married or get divorced. However, living together gives one the emotional space to reach a much mature decision without feeling constricted by the bindings of matrimony.
The economic angle: In a live-in relationship, there is much more independence and less of co-dependency especially in terms of money. The one advantage they have over non live-in couples is that, they can avoid the cost of expensive dates. In today’s age, it makes complete sense to share living expenses and food thus lessening the burden of both partners. 
Marriage is also an union where two people share their living quarters and their expenses and bank accounts, so there’s nothing strange when a live-in couple does the same. But the greatest economic advantage is that there is no question of shelling out huge dollar bills to lawyers and courts when any legal issues are arise later.
Marriage is also an union where two people share their living quarters and their expenses and bank accounts, so there’s nothing strange when a live-in couple does the same. But the greatest economic advantage is that there is no question of shelling out huge dollar bills to lawyers and courts when any legal issues are arise later.
The never ending “honeymoon period”: In a marriage, there is a honeymoon period which eventually ends and then the real life worries start knocking. On the other side, the honey moon never started in the first place, so there is no question of an end. It is as good as a never-ending honeymoon period for cohabiting partners, as opposed to their married counterparts. A live-in relationship is not without its own set of problems and worries, but there is no feeling of constraint or “being stuck with it”, which makes it easier to resolve conflicts. The very fact that a couple sees each other as a “boyfriend” or “girlfriend” instead of a husband and a wife helps to keep the romance alive in the relationship.
Less heartbreak and pain: 
When one enters a marriage, it’s with the thought of “till death do us apart”. But, when living-together, the couples are pre-warned about the transient nature of the relationship and are prepared for the end. They know that their partners are free to come out of the relationship at any point and that awareness helps them to be prepared about the uncertainty of the future. The fact that both are aware about the flexibility of their relationship helps to avoid the pain and bitterness which follow the end of a marriage. It does not mean that both parties are equally indifferent to the pain and loss of the parting, but the fact that they were prepared helps to ease the heartbreak.
When one enters a marriage, it’s with the thought of “till death do us apart”. But, when living-together, the couples are pre-warned about the transient nature of the relationship and are prepared for the end. They know that their partners are free to come out of the relationship at any point and that awareness helps them to be prepared about the uncertainty of the future. The fact that both are aware about the flexibility of their relationship helps to avoid the pain and bitterness which follow the end of a marriage. It does not mean that both parties are equally indifferent to the pain and loss of the parting, but the fact that they were prepared helps to ease the heartbreak.
Although there are advantages to living together before marriage, people have varying views about this kind of partnership and it remains a very personal choice. There are many places which ban cohabitation before marriage and this offence is punishable under the law in many countries. Also, some countries might have given legal right to a couple to live together before marriage but society still frowns upon the practice. These, along with a lot of other facts should be considered before entering a live-in relationship.
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