Business
Love pays, literally: The $10K 'singles tax' of living solo
Living solo comes with plenty of perks — independence, privacy and full control of the thermostat. But that freedom also comes with a price tag. A new Zillow® Rentals analysis finds the national "singles tax" — the extra amount renters pay to live alone rather than share housing — now totals $10,470 per year.
About this update from Zillow Group, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"This Valentine's Day, Zillow data shows that love isn't just romantic — it's economical","length":99,"tagName":"p","attribs":{}},{"type":"list","items":[{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"Renters who live alone pay about $10,470 more per year than those who share housing. That "singles tax" rose just $146 over the past year—the smallest increase in five years.","length":184,"tagName":"p"}]},{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"Couples and roommates who combine households can unlock $20,940 in annual rent savings by sharing one lease instead of living separately and paying for two.","length":156,"tagName":"p"}]},{"val":[{"type":"text","content":"New York City tops the list as the most expensive market for solo renters, with a "singles tax" of $23,400 a year.","length":124,"tagName":"p"}]}],"tagName":"ul","bulletedList":true,"length":464,"olType":false},{"type":"text","content":"SEATTLE, Feb. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Living solo comes with plenty of perks — independence, privacy and full control of the thermostat. But that freedom also comes with a price tag. A new Zillow® Rentals analysis finds the national "singles tax" — the extra amount renters pay to live alone rather than share housing — now totals $10,470 per year.","length":364,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"image","alt":"The singles tax","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"The singles tax","className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":347,"height":400,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/3cf35c29b6230f3c143d211137dd6dd7"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/v26pxbYmWAA.zLFwZUnUYg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTY0MDtoPTczODtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/prnewswire.com/3cf35c29b6230f3c143d211137dd6dd7","width":347,"height":400}},"href":"https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2901673/ZILLOW_Singles_Tax.html","hrefExternal":true,"rel":"nofollow"},{"type":"text","content":"With the typical U.S. apartment rent at $1,745 — up 30% over the past five years — solo renters are covering that full amount on their own instead of splitting it among two or more roommates, essentially paying a premium for having the fridge, remote and closet space all to themselves. The good news for all renters (not just those flying solo) is that apartment affordability nationwide (taking rising incomes into a...