Singles Struggle to Afford Housing Payments
Single and divorced people are more likely to make certain sacrifices to afford rent and mortgage payments than people who are married, according to Redfin.
SEATTLE — Nearly 70% of single, divorced or separated people struggle to afford their regular rent or mortgage payments, compared to just over half (52%) of married people, according to a new report from the real estate brokerage Redfin. More than three-quarters (76%) of respondents who live with their partner but aren’t married struggle with housing payments, making them the group most likely to struggle.
Single people have a harder time affording housing payments largely because they’re typically using just their own income to pay for housing, while many married couples use two incomes. Roughly three in five (63%) single survey respondents and 69% of divorced respondents have a household income of under $50,000 per year, compared to 26% of married respondents. On the flip side, 29% of married respondents have a household income of $100,000 or over, compared to 7% of those who are single and 6% of those who are divorced.
Married couples receive tax benefits singles don’t, which aids financial security
"The high cost of housing tends to hit single people hardest because they can't pool resources with a partner to cover the same costs, unless they're willing to have roommates," said Redfin Chief Economist Daryl Fairweather. "Married couples make up a smaller and smaller share of U.S. households, so it's important to include single people living alone or with roommates when examining ways to ease the affordability crisis. People who aren't yet married or aren't interested in getting married or living with a partner, often have to make more sacrifices to cover their housing costs than their coupled-up counterparts, which is one reason the government should consider zoning for single-room housing, like dormitories, and ADUs."
It’s worth noting that although most single and married people report struggling to make housing payments, most people pay on time. Just 1 of every 20 homeowners, regardless of marital status (married: 4%, never married: 5%, divorced: 6%), were late on their monthly mortgage payments as of September, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey. Fourteen percent of married renters were late on their rent, compared to 12% of those who have never been married and 15% of those who are divorced.
Living alone in a 1-bedroom rental costs tens of thousands more than cohabitating
To break down the extra cost of living alone, take Washington, D.C. as an example. More than half of adults in the nation’s capital are single, making it one of the U.S. cities with the highest share of single people. A studio or one-bedroom rental in the D.C. metro costs $1,908 per month, according to Redfin data. A single person living alone would cover that whole cost themself, while a married or cohabitating couple might split the rent and pay $954 each. That means a single person would pay $11,448 more per year on housing than someone who lives with their romantic partner.
In Los Angeles, one of the most expensive rental markets in the U.S., the typical studio or one-bedroom apartment rents for $2,480 per month, or $1,240 when split in two. A single person making payments alone would pay an extra $14,880 per year.
Single, divorced people more likely to skip meals to make housing payments
Single people are more likely than married couples to make certain sacrifices to pay for housing.
Of those who struggle to afford housing payments, more than one-quarter (27%) of divorced or separated people and 21% of single people report skipping meals completely to pay for housing, compared to 14% of married people. Non-married people are also slightly more likely than married couples to borrow money from family or friends to make housing payments, and to work side hustles.
Single and divorced renters are more likely to cite lack of affordability as a reason they won’t be purchasing a home anytime soon.
This is according to a Redfin-commissioned survey conducted by Ipsos in September 2024. The survey was fielded to 1,802 U.S. residents aged 18-65.
Source: Redfin
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