Insights
Insights for smarter expense management
Practical tips, user stories, and financial strategies that help you track expenses, organize your finances, and make better spending decisions.
Insights
Practical tips, user stories, and financial strategies that help you track expenses, organize your finances, and make better spending decisions.
Although the conversation about cost of living often focuses on families, single adults quietly carry a unique financial burden—one that is rarely acknowledged. Being single, especially in large metropolitan areas, means paying for everything alone: rent, utilities, groceries, transportation, insurance, emergencies, and long-term savings.
There is no shared rent, no splitting groceries, no partner contributing to bills. And in high-cost global cities, the difference between single and partnered living can easily reach an additional 30–50% per person.
To illustrate the reality, let’s follow the life of a 35-year-old single man working as a marketing specialist (a common mid-career corporate role) living in five major global cities:
New York, Beijing, Brisbane, London, and Rio de Janeiro.
This comparison highlights the real-world financial, emotional, and psychological pressures faced by singles around the world.
1. The Hidden Premium of Single Life
Living alone comes with a set of unavoidable financial disadvantages:
A one-bedroom apartment costs far more per person than splitting a two-bedroom with a partner or roommate.
Electricity, internet, heating, streaming services, taxi rides—all become 100% your responsibility.
Emergency funds, retirement contributions, and investments must be funded by one salary, not two.
Singles are often expected to socialize more, travel more, and participate more socially, which raises spending.
A sudden layoff affects a single-income household far more dramatically than a dual-income one.
Regardless of the city, these pressures form the foundation of the “single premium.”
But how heavy it is depends greatly on where you live.
2. Case Study 1: New York City (USA)
Salary: ~$90,000–$120,000/year for a corporate marketing specialist
Reality: High salary does not equal comfortable living as a single person in NYC.
Total: $5,100–$7,200/month
Single disposable income: often surprisingly small
Being single in NYC feels financially risky. One unexpected dental bill or job change can destabilize everything. Many singles feel they’re “doing everything right,” yet saving very little.
3. Case Study 2: Beijing (China)
Salary: equivalent of ~$40,000–$55,000/year
Reality: Lower salary compared to the West, but also lower living costs—yet still heavy for singles.
Total: $1,500–$2,500/month
Living alone is viewed as a luxury in many parts of China. The societal expectation to marry intensifies financial anxiety, especially when single people pay more for everything compared to married peers.
4. Case Study 3: Brisbane (Australia)
Salary: ~$70,000–$95,000/year
Reality: Relatively high salaries, but Australia’s living costs—and especially rent—have risen sharply.
Total: AUD 3,200–4,200/month
Many single professionals describe feeling “comfortable but not progressing financially.” The wealth gap between single-income and dual-income households grows fast.
5. Case Study 4: London (United Kingdom)
Salary: ~£45,000–£60,000/year
Reality: Rent dominates everything, especially post-pandemic, where prices surged dramatically.
Total: £2,700–£4,100/month
London singles often feel stuck between two choices: live with roommates far longer than expected or sacrifice financial freedom for privacy. Many postpone long-term goals (homeownership, investing) because solo life is too costly.
6. Case Study 5: Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)
Salary: ~$15,000–$25,000/year
Reality: Lower salaries but also lower cost of living—yet inflation and instability increase financial pressure.
Total: $1,030–$1,900/month
Despite lower overall costs, financial instability forces singles to maintain higher emergency savings. For someone alone, this creates constant pressure to “always be prepared.”
7. The Psychological Weight of Single Financial Life
Across all five cities, three pressures repeat:
A single job loss impacts the entire household.
Two people sharing one fridge is cheaper than one person filling it alone.
Singles may spend more on socializing, travel, hobbies, or convenience food.
This affects not only the wallet, but mental health.
Singles often feel:
8. What Can Help? (Globally Applicable Strategies)
Modern apps can now predict:
This reduces the mental load.
Even professionals in their 30s and 40s increasingly choose shared housing to reduce rent by 30–50%.
Singles must prioritize:
More aggressively than dual-income households.
Tracking emotional spending—late-night food delivery, impulse shopping—helps reduce unnecessary pressure.
Conclusion: Being Single Is More Expensive Than Most People Realize
From New York to Beijing, Brisbane to London, and Rio de Janeiro, the pattern is clear: being single comes with a financial premium. The same salary stretches far less when one person must cover every household expense alone.
This reality doesn’t mean single life is worse—only that it’s uniquely pressured.
But with awareness, better tools, and smarter planning, single individuals can build financial resilience and thrive, even in the world’s most expensive cities.
