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Millennials and Gen Zers have been saying for a while modern dating isn’t worth it because of what dating apps became after their height in popularity a few years ago. But now they say it’s literally not worth the cost as the cost of an average night out has skyrocketed.
The average “all-in” cost of a date in the U.S. (dinner, drinks, transportation, and even pre-date grooming) has climbed to $189, up 12.5% from $168 a year earlier, according to Bank of Montreal’s (BMO) 2026 Real Financial Progress Index published in February. Daters now spend an average of $2,323 a year going out, even as they go on fewer dates: about 12 in the past year, down from roughly 14 in 2025, the survey found.
So for a growing share of American singles, the dating math just isn’t mathing.
Now nearly half of single Americans (47%) say dating is no longer financially worth it, BMO reported. Another survey published in April by financial services firm JG Wentworth also shows an overwhelming majority of U.S. singles (86%) say money concerns have forced them to delay dating or reenter the dating pool.
Paul Dilda, BMO’s head of U.S. consumer strategy, said this is causing a K-shaped dating economy to emerge.
“At one end, people are slashing dating expenses entirely, either by skipping date night or by swapping the restaurant for a home-cooked meal and the movie tickets for popcorn on the couch,” Dilda said in a statement. “On the other, some are deciding an expensive date is worth the dent in their wallets.”
The share of singles who were surveyed by BMO who say a typical date now costs them $300 or more has risen to 14%, from 11% in 2025, while the share who spend nothing at all has also ticked up to 14%.
The squeeze is sharpest among the people who do most of the dating. Millennials now spend $252 per outing on average, a 32% jump from 2025, according to BMO. Gen Z reports spending $205, up from $194. Half of Gen Z respondents and 40% of millennials said the cost of dating is getting in the way of their financial goals.
fortune.com
The average “all-in” cost of a date in the U.S. (dinner, drinks, transportation, and even pre-date grooming) has climbed to $189, up 12.5% from $168 a year earlier, according to Bank of Montreal’s (BMO) 2026 Real Financial Progress Index published in February. Daters now spend an average of $2,323 a year going out, even as they go on fewer dates: about 12 in the past year, down from roughly 14 in 2025, the survey found.
So for a growing share of American singles, the dating math just isn’t mathing.
Now nearly half of single Americans (47%) say dating is no longer financially worth it, BMO reported. Another survey published in April by financial services firm JG Wentworth also shows an overwhelming majority of U.S. singles (86%) say money concerns have forced them to delay dating or reenter the dating pool.
Paul Dilda, BMO’s head of U.S. consumer strategy, said this is causing a K-shaped dating economy to emerge.
“At one end, people are slashing dating expenses entirely, either by skipping date night or by swapping the restaurant for a home-cooked meal and the movie tickets for popcorn on the couch,” Dilda said in a statement. “On the other, some are deciding an expensive date is worth the dent in their wallets.”
The share of singles who were surveyed by BMO who say a typical date now costs them $300 or more has risen to 14%, from 11% in 2025, while the share who spend nothing at all has also ticked up to 14%.
The squeeze is sharpest among the people who do most of the dating. Millennials now spend $252 per outing on average, a 32% jump from 2025, according to BMO. Gen Z reports spending $205, up from $194. Half of Gen Z respondents and 40% of millennials said the cost of dating is getting in the way of their financial goals.
Dating has gotten so expensive that nearly half of U.S. singles say it's no longer worth it, as the average night out approaches $200 | Fortune
This is causing a K-shaped dating economy to emerge.
