That’s just an estimate… The actual numbers are potentially even more worrying.

Most single people know they’ll spend more on rent and utilities without a partner to split costs. But the reality is far deeper than many realise. Here are the key 2025 takeaways:

• Singles pay an extra £3,844 per year on household bills compared to couples.
• On a per-person basis, singles spend +22% more on housing & utilities, +28% more on food, and +32% more on broadband/phones.
• At the end of the month, singles are left with just £42 spare, compared with couples who have £341 more
• The “food penalty” adds around £1,600 per year to a solo household’s grocery bill. A single person spends £2,606 annually on food, compared to £2,032 per partner in a couple.
• In the most expensive cities, solo living costs are eye-watering: London (£3,611.60/month), Cambridge (£3,409.52/month), and Oxford (£3,272.27/month).
• Financial resilience is lower too: 29% of single 18–40s have no emergency fund, versus 16% of those in relationships.
• Looking further ahead, some financial experts say that single retirees need an eye watering £225,000 more saved than couples to reach a moderate lifestyle in retirement.

In other words, the “single tax” is very real. It doesn’t just nibble away at your wallet, it drains it.

The Cost of Being Single: Rent and Housing

Whether you’ve currently chosen to be single or are looking for a partner, being single has a lot going for it. You have more personal freedom. There’s no need to compromise when you’re choosing what to watch or eat each night. Plus, no-one complains when you steal all the covers in bed!

Unfortunately, if you want to enjoy all the benefits of being single, you’re going to need to pay for them. Housing remains the single biggest driver of the “single tax”. In 2025, single people pay around £3,844 more each year on household bills than couples. Per person, singles face 22% higher housing & utility costs than couples, and that gap continues to widen.

The picture is worse in big cities. Monthly solo living costs now average £3,611.60 in London, £3,409.52 in Cambridge, and £3,272.27 in Oxford – making these the most expensive places in the UK to live alone.

Rising prices are piling on further pressure: rents climbed 7% in the 12 months to May 2025, while electricity costs rose 4.5% year-on-year to June 2025. Since single people are more likely to rent, they’re more exposed to these spikes.

To make matters worse, singles also earn less. The average single adult in the UK takes home £23,708 after tax, while a couple earns a combined £55,117. That means singles not only face higher bills per person, but often do so on a lower income.

So, what about council tax? That’s a relief, right? Not really. While single people are eligible for a 25% discount on council tax costs, your overall expense is still higher.

For example, say you were living in a Band D house in North Tyneside this year. With your 25% discount, you’d pay around £1,752.33 in council tax for the year, about £146 a month. Alternatively, two people paying equally for council tax would pay around £97.35 a month each.

Plus, while you might get a (paltry) council tax discount as a single person, you also miss out on:

• Marriage allowance benefits
• Inheritance tax law benefits for married couples & civil partnerships
• Benefits on capital gains taxes

So, when it comes to the cost of being single, the council tax discount just isn’t enough.

How Much Extra Does it Cost to be Single?

Think the “single tax” starts and ends with rent and council tax? Think again. Singles pay more across almost every fixed cost – food, broadband, subscriptions, holidays, even pet ownership. Because most products and services are priced per household, not per person, solo living magnifies every bill.

FOOD COSTS
In 2025, food inflation has made solo shopping even more punishing. Singles spend around £1,600 extra per year on food compared to couples. On average, a single person spends £2,606 annually, while a partner in a couple spends £2,032 – a gap of £574 per year.

It’s not just an inability to split bills that’s a problem here. Many items come in sizes suitable for couples and families. You’ve probably noticed a ready meal designed for 2 is cheaper per person than one made for a single person.

Plus, it’s much harder to buy in bulk (and use all of your food before it goes out of date) when you’re living alone, making it tougher to take advantage of deals.

TRAVEL & HOLIDAYS
Holidays are another sore spot for people worrying about the cost of being single. Package providers and hotels regularly apply a “single supplement”, meaning solo travellers often pay the same room price as couples but without anyone to split it with.

UK Debt Expert’s 2025 figures show that once lifestyle costs like holidays and events are included, the annual singles tax rises to over £20,000 in London, with other cities like Oxford and Edinburgh not far behind.

You get the same queen-sized bed whether you’re using it alone or travelling with a partner, but for some reason, you pay a lot more for the option to “starfish” across the sheets. At the same time, many travel cards, rail tickets, and bus deals are designed for couples. Common options like the “two together railcard” give you a third off rail travel, just for travelling with someone else.

Even plane tickets can be more expensive for single people!

CAR & HOME INSURANCE
Adding a named driver to your car insurance can actually reduce your policy costs. Good Housekeeping suggests some insurers think single drivers are more likely to get into an accident than couples. However, even if this isn’t the case, adding someone with more experience, and a higher no claims bonus to your plan will reduce premiums, if they actually use your car.

On the plus side, you might spend less on your home insurance if you’re living alone. According to AXA, insurance policies cost more when there are multiple people in a property, because more people equals more chances for damages to occur.

ENTERTAINMENT & RECREATION
Want to “Netflix and chill” on your own? Here’s another area where the price of being single can be a massive problem. Entertainment and connectivity costs quickly add up.

Singles spend 29% more on broadband than couples per person, while communication bills average £828 a year for a solo household versus £628 per partner in a couple. Streaming services also punish singles – Uswitch found music streaming costs can be 68% higher for solo users, since family or partner plans deliver better value.

It’s not just the benefit of “splitting the bills” you’re missing out on here either. Many streaming services offer plans for multiple users and “family packages” that are more cost effective if you’re not living alone. Memberships to certain things can cost more too.

One membership to the National Trust costs £84 per year, compared to £139.20 per year for a joint two-person membership. Some gyms even offer discounts if you sign up with a partner.

RETIREMENT COSTS
The “single tax” doesn’t disappear when you stop working – in fact, it gets even steeper. According to Standard Life’s 2025 analysis, single retirees need around £225,000 more in savings than couples to achieve a moderate standard of living.

Here’s how they break it down:

Minimum lifestyle (basics + one UK holiday, no car):

• Singles need £14,400 per year after tax.
• With a full state pension (£11,973 annually), that leaves a gap requiring about £54,500 in savings.
• Couples cover the same lifestyle with two state pensions alone – meaning they don’t need extra savings at all.

Moderate lifestyle (car + two-week foreign holiday):

• Singles need £31,300 per year.
• That means saving around £439,000 to plug the gap after the state pension.
• Couples need £43,100 per year, which requires about £428,000 in joint savings (just £214,000 each).

Comfortable lifestyle (three-week foreign holiday, home renovations, £1,500 annual clothing budget):

• Singles must save around £709,000.
• Couples need the same figure – but between them. That means a single pensioner must save £311,000 more to match their coupled peers’ standard of living.

As Standard Life’s Mike Ambery points out, costs like mortgages, rent, utility bills, and even holidays don’t halve just because you live alone. While couples can pool their resources, single retirees must stretch their finances much further, making retirement one of the most expensive stages of solo living.

Is it Cheaper to Stay Single than Look for a Partner?

All of this information about the price of being single might convince you that you should reconsider finding a partner, just for financial reasons. However, I don’t recommend partnering up just to avoid the single tax. In fact, looking for a partner could make your financial issues worse.

While Brits who live alone spend around £14.89 less on recreation and fun, some actively looking for a partner spend up to £166 per month on dating, according to Ocean Finance. These findings are backed up by a survey from 2019 which found Brits spent around £1,349 a year on dates (Working out to about £1,637 today, with inflation).

Ultimately, you’ll be spending extra money on things like:

• Restaurant meals and fun date ideas (£129 on average)
• New outfits (£107 on average)
• Haircuts (£29 on average)
• (And if you sign up to them dating profile subscriptions – averaging around £30 per month. Plus, that’s on top of any gifts (flowers and chocolates), or extras you want to add to the data experience.

Is it Cheaper to Stay Single than Look for a Partner?

All this might tempt some people to think about coupling up for financial reasons alone. And in fact, the data suggests some already are: in 2025, 21% of 18–40s admitted they stayed in a relationship to make the cost of living more affordable.

Single spend around £1,676 on recreation and “culture” – less than the £1,897 each spent by couples, but many spend hundreds per month on dating.

Those looking for a partner spend up to £166 per month on dating, according to Ocean Finance. These findings are backed up by a survey from 2019 which found Brits spent around £1,349 a year on dates (Working out to about £1,637 today, with inflation).

Ultimately, you’ll be spending extra money on things like:

• Restaurant meals and fun date ideas (£129 on average)
• New outfits (£107 on average)
• Haircuts (£29 on average)

And if you sign up to them dating profile subscriptions – averaging around £30 per month. Plus, that’s on top of any gifts (flowers and chocolates), or extras you want to add to the data experience.

Is the Single Tax Getting Worse?

The evidence says yes – the single tax is getting worse. With rents up 7%, electricity up 4.5%, and the cost of food and broadband climbing, singles are being squeezed harder than ever. Over 8.4 million people in England and Wales now live alone, and many are left with just £42 at the end of the month.

Almost half of single adults (49%) are classed as having poor financial resilience, compared with just 12% of couples. The higher fixed costs and lower incomes faced by singletons leave them far less able to weather financial shocks.

Some have resorted to using credit cards for bills (12%), delaying payments (11%), or even staying in unhappy relationships (15%) just to make ends meet. And long term, the gap doesn’t close – as some reports say that a single person needs £225,000 more in retirement savings than a couple to achieve the same “moderate” lifestyle.

Energy and food prices are rising, along with the cost of fuel. Housing costs are becoming harder to contend with. Even childcare costs are increasing, stretching single parents to breaking point (two thirds of UK parents are spending more for childcare than they do on their mortgage!)

Governments are consistently ignoring the needs of single people when introducing new forms of financial support, focusing instead on families and couples, and retailers in virtually every industry penalise single buyers.

The bottom line? The singles tax is no longer just a hidden cost – it’s a visible, structural inequality affecting millions.

The good news?  The tides are changing. 

It’s not just singles who feel the pinch – 61% of Brits agree the ‘single surcharge’ is unfair, and even 54% of couples believe companies should offer fairer pricing for solo households.

People are starting to pay attention to the unfair cost of being single in the UK, and that recognition could be exactly what we need to launch the beginning of a meaningful change.