- If you're single, you know that the dating scene is pretty bleak out there, frustrating apps, mismatched exp and situationships that drag on in endless ambiguity.

Maybe you've given up looking for a partner like half of single adults in th who say they're not interested in dating at all.

- But in addition to the heartac being single can hurt your bank Unpartnered people take on added for everything from housing to dating to travel.

There are dozens of financial pe for flying solo that you might not even know about.

- And ways to solve it besides just going on another ba (upbeat music) - To start with, single people often have lower household incom than couples where both partners In 2021, that looked like a medi of about $51,000 for single wome and $70,000 for single men versus 106,000 for married coupl And that shouldn't be too surprising, right?

Single households have half the but they also have half the number of people to pay for.

- Except rent, for say a one bedroom apartment, costs the same amount no matter how many people are sleeping in it.

That's 1,550 for the median US r So to rent the same apartment, the average couple would be spen of their household income versus 35% for a single person.

And sure, you could get a roomma but unless you're into adult bun you're still looking at splittin on a bigger and more expensive p - Single people don't benefit from the same economies of scale that couples do.

If you live alone, costs like rent, internet, and streaming services can't be split between two peopl Even things like groceries can get more expensive.

It doesn't matter that a gallon is cheaper per ounce than a smaller container if you can't finish a gallon on before it goes bad.

- Plus, single people may pay mo on that smaller household income The percentage of your income you pay in taxes depends on how much you make.

For more detail on exactly how t check out our video on tax brack But let's look at some numbers.

A single person making $60,000 is taxed at a maximum of 22% on some of their income.

But a person making $120,000 maxes out at a tax rate of 24%.

- If those two people ge married, the tax brackets shift.

It's as if their combined income gets averaged out across the two and they both pay the 22% rate.

For spouses who earn similar sal filing jointly won't make a huge difference, but if there's a big income gap in your relationship, the higher earner could find the in a lower tax bracket than when they were single.

- And it's not just living alone that comes with an extra financi You may spend extra to celebrate your partnered friends too.

The average wedding guest spends about $600 on transportation, hotels, and o If you're in the bridal party, you could spend as much as $3,000 on your rental tux or bridesmaid dress, plus costs for wedding showers, destination bachelor or bachelorette parties, and of course, a wedding gift for the happy couple.

- Many major milestones like weddings, babies, birthdays, and holidays com with gift giving expectations.

And like living expenses, couples get to share the cost, and there's fewer cultural tradi that allow coupled people to reciprocate their single friend's generosity.

So if your turn to be showered in gifts never comes around, all that spending may feel one-s - If you're trying to stop being that's also going to cost you.

A 2025 survey found that single are spending nearly $200 per dat between the costs of the date ac transportation, and things like new outfits and haircuts to impress a potential sweetheart.

Then factor in dating apps where an increasing number of us pay subscription fees to access that give them a better chance of landing a date.

- These features can cost hundreds per year just to make all the swiping worth your while.

And watch out for romance scamme who use these apps to prey on lonely singles.

The 64,000 victims who reported romance scams to the FTC in 2023 sent an average of $2,000 to these dating app catfishers.

That's a lot to lose without even going on a real date.

- The deck is even more stacked against single people with kids.

The most recent US census showed that 1 in 20 married coup with children are experiencing p while one in six single dad hous fall under that poverty threshol And when it comes to single moms nearly one-third of these families experience poverty.

- Single parents get hit with a double penalty.

Often they have lower incomes as they seek jobs that can work their childcare responsibilities 42% of single parents make less than $17 an hour, and they may spend extra on childcare costs, which depending on where you liv can cost an average of 6,000 to $15,000 per year.

And single parents carry all that cost burden without someone to share the loa - All this extra spending single to stay afloat is even more prec if anything goes wrong, like an illness or job loss.

For a single person, a layoff co your household income to zero ov People in couples might be able to rely on a partner's income and even get on a partner's health insurance in order to weather job loss, go back to school, or start a business, like we did But single people have no such s - There's no doubt that the numb of single adults is increasing.

The share of adults who have never been married has nearly doubled since 1990, which means more and more of the are feeling the pinch of the so-called single tax.

And budget hacks lik roommates and cheap date ideas only do so much to help.

So what can be done to level the financial playing field?

- Some advocacy organizations have proposed expanding tax incentives that favor married couples, home and families with children like the Earned Income Tax Credi to single adults as well.

Cities like New York and Atlanta have even put this to the test, trialing a $2,000 tax credit for a group of low-income workin without dependent children.

In New York, they found that par in that program saw an increase in their incomes even without counting the tax cr - As another approach, some governments have implemented a tax break for singles.

In the UK, where property taxes are assessed, assuming a household has at least two residents, single people can apply for a 25% discount.

It's possible that more policies like these could get implemented as the share of adults who stay single continues to gro - In the meantime, there is one where single people might enjoy a financial advantage over coupl If your career requires you to m to pursue further education or higher paying job opportuniti it's easier to pick up and leave if you don't have to factor in a partner's preferences or job prospects.

- So enjoy that freedom, singles because you're certainly paying enough to have earned it.

- [Both] And that's our two cent