For many Gen Z adults, dating is becoming less a question of chemistry and more a matter of cost.
A national study by Brigham Young University’s Wheatley Institute and the Institute for Family Studies found that financial pressure is now the leading dating barrier for single young adults ages 22 to 35, with more than half pointing to money struggles as the main reason they are staying on the sidelines.
The survey, published earlier this year, paints a stark picture of modern romance: only about 30% of young adults are currently dating, while just 31% report going on a date at least once a month. The slowdown is widespread, with 74% of young women and 64% of young men saying they either had not dated at all or had gone on only a handful of dates over the past year.
For a generation trying to gain a foothold in adulthood, economic uncertainty is reshaping the search for connection. A soft job market, steep rents and the rising price of everyday life have made dating feel out of reach for many young people, according to a recent New York Times report.
The strain can be especially sharp in major cities such as New York, where even a routine night out can become a major expense. BMO Financial Group found that Gen Z spends more than $200 on the average date night once transportation and the cost of getting ready are included.
Gen Z isn’t willing to pay the price
That does not mean young adults have lost interest in romance. Many still want long-term relationships, marriage and families, but they are increasingly frustrated by a dating culture that feels financially punishing.
“I definitely do want to get married and have kids,” Grace Sakellariou, 27, a single woman living in Astoria, New York, told the Times. “But that just feels so unattainable. I can’t even think about affording a wedding.”
Sakellariou said it can also feel “discouraging” when men suggest splitting the bill early on. “I think it’s stunted our growth that everything’s so expensive,” she said.
Josh Timmins, a 25-year-old who intends to go to law school next year, is choosing not to date because of the high price of going out. He characterized dating apps as a “bit soulless.” “It’s hard to find actual connection,” he told the Times.
Couples can save on rent
According to the Times, Gen Z increasingly faces a problem: They need a partner to survive the economy, but they can’t afford the cost of finding one.
In Manhattan, the priciest New York City borough, sharing a one-bedroom with a partner can cut rent by more than $25,000 a year. It’s the biggest savings gap in the country, according to StreetEasy’s 2025 analysis of median asking rents.
When couples split the rent check, it gets easier for them to pay down student loans and save up for a down payment. They can also take a chance on a big career move, like switching jobs, starting a business or going back to school.
Benjamin Goldman, a labor and public economist at Cornell University, posed the following question to the Times: Could the drop in dating and marriage be part of why so many people in their 20s and 30s feel so economically stuck in New York and other big cities? “It’s one piece of this that’s been under-discussed,” he told the outlet.
Gen Z is increasingly choosing not to date because of the high cost of going out.
According to a national research project from Brigham Young University’s Wheatley Institute and the Institute for Family Studies, more than half of single young adults ages 22 to 35 cite financial struggles as their biggest obstacle to dating.
The survey, released earlier this year, found that only about 30% of young adults are dating at all, and just 31% say they date at least once a month. Nearly three-quarters of young women (74%) and almost two-thirds of young men (64%) reported they hadn’t dated or had dated only a few times in the past year.
