In brief:
- Being single in Australia is an expensive prospect.
- The single life comes with a "premium", leaving those not in a relationship thousands of dollars worse off.
Single mother Stacey Gray is juggling two jobs in regional Queensland to support her nine-year-old son and to get by.
"I just wouldn't be able to afford to live without two jobs," she told SBS News.
"You have to make choices between what you need and what you want ... If it comes down to a new toy over tutoring, then you get the tutoring, don't you?
"It's getting harder and harder to be able to do all the things that we were able to do a couple of years ago."
The 46-year-old lives in a family-owned home in Port Douglas, doesn't have a mortgage, but says she has to work overtime to make ends meet — using before and after school care services for his son with government subsidies.
The recent fuel price hike has also impacted her.
"With [interest] rates and now the fuel as well, and just the cost of groceries. It all adds up very quickly," she said.
"It just seems to be one thing after another at the moment."
The $19,260 gap
Being single comes with a "premium" in Australia, leaving those not in a relationship thousands of dollars worse off, financial experts say.
The average Australian with a partner has savings of $50,192, whereas a single person has $30,932 — a gap of $19,260, according to Finder, a financial comparison site.
This is related to what experts describe as a type of tax, only on single people.
"When we talk about singles tax, we're really focused on those that are both unpartnered and living alone," Sarah Sinclair, an associate professor in economics at RMIT University, told SBS News.
"[Single tax] is a direct cost that they experience that others don't.
"They're missing out on economies of scale, income pooling, and also that inter-household risk sharing."
Finder’s Singles Tax Report 2026 shows that while single people are saving $651 monthly on average, someone who is in a relationship is saving $1,086.
On average, an individual can sustain themselves off their savings for 15.9 weeks, whereas someone in a relationship can do so for 17.4 weeks.
'Premium for living alone'
"The additional costs of living that they experience, a lot of that is felt through things such as housing costs, utilities, and insurance," Sinclair said.
"These are all very much costs that are fixed at the household level. So when multiple people live in the house, those costs are shared ... There is essentially a premium for living alone just purely in those direct costs."
Singles might spend less than couples, but the cost per person is lower.
For example, Finder's report shows that an average single person spends $165 per week on groceries, compared to $237 for those with a partner.
It found rent, groceries, and utilities ranked were the most challenging expenses for married and single Australians.
With the cost-of-living crisis that many Australians are grappling with, conditions might even worsen for those living alone.
"When you're experiencing higher costs for just day-to-day living, all of those costs get amplified," Sinclair said.
"When those prices go up, obviously, that is borne solely by one person on one income, as opposed to being able to share it across multiple incomes."
Paying loan 'on their own'
The Finder report shows that singles are also at a disadvantage when buying a home.
Across 4,493 suburbs where properties were sold in the 12 months of 2025, only 31 per cent were affordable without putting new owners into mortgage stress — for couples with two sources of income, that stress is lower.
In 2025, 56 per cent of first-time home buyers purchased with a partner, 39 per cent bought alone, and five per cent bought with a family member or a friend.
The population of single first-home buyers has also dropped by six per cent between 2021 and 2025.
"Getting a foot on the property ladder is another area where the 'singles tax' is clearly on display," said Rebecca Pike, money expert at Finder and report co-author.
"Unlike couples, single buyers must save the same deposit without the benefit of dual earnings, while also proving they can service a loan on their own ... This significantly limits borrowing power and reduces the number of properties within reach."
This might also have a long-term impact on their financial situation in the long term.
Sinclair said that lower savings mean that people can accumulate fewer assets over their lifetime.
"They're relying more solely on their own income, and then have less access to things like informal care networks as they age, and this can increase their vulnerability later in life," she said.
"I think we could think about how the system is designed. For example, do we need more housing that is better suited to singles?
"There are a number of things that you can think about ... It's more, how can we manage the cost structures so that you're reducing those additional burdens on single households."
The 'happiness gap'
The report indicates that, besides financial challenges, there is also a "happiness gap" between singles and those in relationships.
It shows 61 per cent of those not in a relationship reported feeling happy in March, compared to 82 per cent of those with a partner.
Pike said "while happiness is shaped by many factors, financial security and stability can play an important role".
According to the report, the gap is bigger at certain times of the year, such as Christmas, with 70 per cent of singles reporting feeling happy, compared to 86 per cent of those in a couple, in December 2025.
"Holidays especially are a time associated with social connection and positive memories, which can bring on heavy feelings for those without a partner," Pike said.
"Of course, happiness isn't and shouldn't be solely determined by relationship status."
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