Nearly one in four Americans in a relationship say they would leave tomorrow if money were no object, according to a January survey of 1,048 adults conducted for Self Financial. In all, 23.5 percent of adults they would separate if it were cost-free. With rents, deposits and furniture bills climbing faster than paychecks, researchers warn that financial fear is fast becoming an invisible glue keeping shaky couples under the same roof.
For Gen Z, the costs are especially high — $3,862. The number exploded onto social feeds after the New York Post framed the issue in stark New York City terms: a co-habiting pair who split the rent on a one-bedroom now save roughly $50,000 a year compared with renting two studio apartments. The report also calculated that the city’s so-called “singles tax” — the premium solo tenants pay for the same square footage — has jumped about 40 percent since 2022, further raising the stakes of any romantic exit.
The pressure is especially acute for younger adults. An April feature on Audacy’s KYW Newsradio breaks down Gen Z’s $3,862 post-split bill: nearly $1,991 for a “rebound” vacation, about $131 for first dates and roughly $92 for a night out meant to celebrate singlehood. Those figures mirror separate research by the finance app Frich, cited in an earlier New York Post piece, which found that 18 percent of Gen Zers remained in unsatisfying relationships to avoid higher rent and 39 percent moved in “earlier than ideal” purely to dodge inflation.
Housing, however, is only part of the arithmetic. Self’s poll shows 86 percent of couples argue about money, and 41 percent say finances directly contributed to a previous break-up. Among those still together, two in five would consider counseling to resolve economic conflicts. Absent professional help, many simply delay hard decisions: 22.7 percent confessed they “might” call it quits if a hypothetical separation carried no financial fallout, and another 23.5 percent said they definitely would.
International data suggest the phenomenon is not uniquely American. A 2024 “Cost of Loving” survey by credit bureau Experian found that one in three U.K. couples aged 18-35 remain together chiefly because they fear they cannot afford solo housing. Nearly half admitted they had no idea how to unwind shared bank accounts or joint credit if they did split, underscoring how financial entanglement can outlast affection.
Economists point out that today’s figures echo post-recession patterns from the late 2000s, when foreclosures and underwater mortgages deterred thousands of unhappy couples from filing for divorce. The difference now, they say, lies in rental markets: national median asking rent stands at $1,691 for Feb 2025, according to Realtor.com. While not part of this week’s surveys, that backdrop helps explain why even dating timelines are bending to balance-sheet reality.
For 27-year-old marketing coordinator Maya Thompson, the math came first. “I wasn’t ready to live with my boyfriend, but renewing my lease solo meant an extra $800 a month I simply don’t have,” she told KYW Newsradio. “So we signed together. Now I joke that rent is our real love language.” Stories like hers illustrate the human side of Self’s driest statistic: 40 percent of Gen Z respondents would move in with a partner sooner than planned if it saved money.
Still, the surveys offer a narrow veneer of optimism: 47 percent of Self’s respondents believe their relationship has actually increased their net worth, mainly through shared costs and dual incomes. ApartmentAdvisor, cited in the same report, calculates that a Boston couple splitting a one-bedroom can trim more than $26,000 a year off housing expenses. Those figures show why financial synergy can feel worth the emotional risk — at least for couples who are already happy.
Whether those savings justify delaying a split remains a deeply personal question. What the data do confirm is that love and money are now impossible to untangle for millions of Americans. As rents climb and the average break-up rivals the cost of a used car, many will continue asking whether heartbreak is simply too expensive. For the 23.5 percent who have already answered yes, the next move may hinge less on feelings than on whatever happens to rents, wages and the price tag of going it alone.
