How much more single people pay to live alone in London

From council tax to the weekly shop, the financial burden of living alone as a single person can really take a toll. But now, new figures have confirmed the true scale of the so-called ‘singles tax’. This term refers to the additional costs someone faces when they can’t split them with a partner, having to shoulder the rent or mortgage, household bills, and everything else by themselves (Picture: Getty/Metro.co.uk)

In 2025, food alone as a single person denotes an extra spend of up to £1,600, which is pretty shocking. For those renting solo in London though, it’s especially difficult, with the annual singles tax meaning a whopping £19,152 more spent on housing alone. Incorporating other lifestyle costs – like not splitting a food shop or a hotel room at a wedding – increases the statistic, from UK Debt Expert, to £20,565 (Picture: Getty)

Oxford isn’t much better either; the tax for renting alone here comes in at £13,071, rising to £14,368 when considering other costs that smug, coupled-up friends can save on. Up in Edinburgh, things are marginally better at £11,393, while the figure for Cambridge sits at £11,192, followed by Crawley at £11,179. All in all, this reveals the stark reality that this is all money single people lose out on purely because they’re not in a relationship. Unfortunately, without a major societal shift, singledom likely won’t be getting cheaper any time soon. However, there are a couple of ways you can save while living alone (Picture: Getty)

How to save money while living alone as a single person

Firstly, you’ll want to take advantage of the council tax discount. Local authorities bill as though at least two people share each home together – but if you’re living alone, who’s picking up the other half? For this reason, single-person households in England, Scotland and Wales are entitled to a 25% discount. This might not scratch the surface of how expensive solo living can be – and arguably, the discount should be 50% – but it’ll shave a few pennies off (Picture: Getty)

While a 12,000-strong petition was presented to the UK government under Rishi Sunak in February 2024 asking for the discount to be increased, these suggestions were squashed – and Keir Starmer sadly hasn’t shown any signs of taking it on. Over on the r/Frugal Subreddit, single people shared other tips they swear by for keeping costs down. One user, @Roots_on_up, recommended buying food in large quantities, batch-cooking, and making sure to save some for the freezer, explaining: ‘It’s cheap and if you have food on hand, you won’t be tempted to go out as much’ (Picture: Getty)

Another solo saver, @outspokentrauma, learned to make the most of being home alone by ‘keeping lights off and the AC/heat low’, while @Sunny_and_lucky88 suggested ‘looking into other income streams’ like evening shift work and side hustles. ‘If you don’t have any dependents, now is the time to earn!’ they added (Picture: Getty)

The cheapest city for single people in the UK

If you’re in the market to buy and want to stretch your money a little further, the most affordable UK city for single people has been named – and it’s Aberdeen. Here, data shows that the median value between a one and two-bedroom home is £119,350, while the median monthly pay (gross) is £3,280, as of November 2024. Monthly mortgage repayments were placed at £510 per month in accordance with the average deposit in the region, giving an annual value-to-earnings ratio of 3.0 – which isn’t too shabby (Picture: Getty)

But it’s not just Aberdeen that’s increasingly affordable for singles: in England, the vibrant city of Liverpool is the place to be (and second on the list across Britain overall). The median value of a 1-2 bedroom home might be slightly more expensive than Scotland’s Silver City at £130,800, but as per Zoopla’s figures, the typical monthly pay here is £2,980. Assuming mortgage repayments of £540 per month, this gives it an overall score of 3.7 (Picture: Getty)