Sofas, beds, mattresses, dining tables, rugs and dressers carry real prices read at the shop that sells them, with the date on every row. Every other category is still sample data.

The first-apartment furniture checklist: 21 things, by room

21 things, in six rooms. Eight of them are counted per person or per bed, so the same checklist comes to 22 objects for a home of one and 43 for a home of four. Every count below is the one the calculator uses.

A checklist is only honest if it says where it stops.

This is the list the calculator prices, written out. The “why” column is the reason the item is on it at all; the four number columns are how many a home of that size gets. Print it, cross things off, or open the calculator and mark what you already own as bought.

The list, room by room

Prices are deliberately not in this table. What each of the six rooms costs, at the cheapest option that fits, is on the cost page.

Kitchen — 5 items

Item	Why it is on the list	1	2	3	4+
Fridge	More people means a bigger fridge.	1	1	1	1
Microwave	Big enough for a dinner plate.	1	1	1	1
Pots & Pans	About three pans for each person.	1	1	1	1
Plates & Bowls	Two sets for each person.	1	1	1	1
Coffee Maker	A bigger pot for more people.	1	1	1	1

Laundry — 2 items

Item	Why it is on the list	1	2	3	4+
Washing Machine	More people, bigger loads.	1	1	1	1
Dryer	Matches the washing machine.	1	1	1	1

Living Room — 5 items

Item	Why it is on the list	1	2	3	4+
Sofa	One seat each, plus one for a guest.	1	1	1	1
Coffee Table	A bit shorter than the sofa.	1	1	1	1
TV	Bigger room, bigger screen.	1	1	1	1
Rug	Big enough to reach under the sofa.	1	1	1	1
Lamp	Three lights make a room feel warm.	1	2	2	3

Dining — 2 items

Item	Why it is on the list	1	2	3	4+
Dining Table	One arm-width of table per seat.	1	1	1	1
Chairs	One chair for each seat at the table.	2	4	6	8

Bedroom — 5 items

Item	Why it is on the list	1	2	3	4+
Mattress	A small bed is added for each extra person.	1	1	2	3
Bed	One frame for each mattress.	1	1	2	3
Bedside Table	One beside each sleeper.	1	2	3	4
Dresser	About three drawers for each person.	1	1	2	2
Sheets	Two sets for each bed.	1	1	2	3

Bathroom — 2 items

Item	Why it is on the list	1	2	3	4+
Towels	Two towels for each person.	1	2	3	4
Vacuum	Bigger home, stronger vacuum.	1	1	1	1

What to buy first, if it cannot all come at once

This section is our opinion, not a measurement, and it is the only part of this page that is. Everything else on it is either the list itself or a price we read at a shop.

The order we would buy in: a bed and a mattress first, because a floor is the one thing that stops you sleeping; then the fridge, if the apartment came without one, because the alternative is buying food daily; then somewhere to sit and somewhere to eat. Lamps are cheap and change a room more than their price suggests, so they come early. A dryer, a coffee maker and a TV are the three we would leave until last — together they are $1,027 of the one-person total, and none of them stops the apartment working.

Where this list stops

Not on it: curtains, a desk, storage, an iron, a washing basket, tools, bins, cleaning things, anything for a hobby, and anything a specific apartment happens to need. The 21 items are the ones the calculator can price with a rule that changes by household size. Treat the rest as your own column.

Also worth saying: the list assumes a US apartment with a washer and dryer hookup and a kitchen that already has a stove. If yours does not, two of the 21 lines fall away and one large one appears that we do not carry.

Questions

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Run by Kaz, an individual. Last updated 7 September 2026.