Engagement first, or getting a place together first?

I’m just going with the flow of things, but I’m really curious as to how others go about this. I’m 27, boyfriend is 33 and we’ve never lived together (been together for a couple years), but now we’re talking about it within 3~6 months of getting a place with my best friend. I’d personally rather it be just us, but it would be cheaper if we all 3 got a place. However if we do that instead of my best friend and I getting a place, my boyfriend and I mentioned that getting engaged would be significantly delayed, of course because of extra finances.

Would it be a wiser decision, in your own different perspectives/opinion, to:

• move in together first into an apartment (with best friend, boyfriend and I).

-or-

• engagement first, then moving in together with just us once we save up enough for a house?

Neither of us are in much of a rush or are set in any specific path, and I wouldn’t mind my best friend and I getting like a year lease until my boyfriend and I have enough for a house and/or engagement.

But yeah, this is all new since we’re actually starting to seriously discuss all of this. So I’m not really sure which direction we would or should be going despite our age, we’ve always just lived with roommates and never been into serious commitments like this in previous relationships.

What would you do?

☺️