Data shows the "single tax" - or the additional cost of doing life alone - varies over the course of a person's life. Photo: Getty By Susan Edmunds Being single can be more expensive, but have you ever wondered how much? Data shows the "single tax" - or the additional cost of doing life alone - varies over the course of a person's life. Here's how the numbers stack up: Working age Economist Shamubeel Eaqub compiled data that showed, for people aged 25 to 49, single people were spending 14 percent more than their coupled counterparts.
The biggest differences were in housing - where they spent 53 percent more, health, where they spent 40 percent more and communication, where they spent 41 percent more. Shirley McCombe, of Bay Financial Mentors, said it was "much" more expensive to live as a single person, especially if someone wanted to live alone. "Trying to service a mortgage or pay rent on one income is very difficult and it is not just a matter of finding a one- or two-bedroom place as these are not necessarily proportionally cheaper and they are hard to find.
" The Retirement Commission said couples were more likely to say they were financially comfortable, significantly less likely to experience the most common types of financial stress and more likely to have savings and investments as well as insurance. Couples had more debt but that was probably because they were more likely to own homes. They were less likely to say they were worried about their finances from pay to pa.
