The ‘singles tax’: Solo New Yorkers pay $20,100 more in rent to live alone
- Manhattanites pay the most to live alone, but also save the most when they pair up
Dating in New York City is tough. Paying the rent on your own in NYC might be tougher.
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It’s not easy being single on Valentine’s Day, and if you’re looking to rent a place by yourself, you're feeling additional pain: Solo New York City renters pay much more than their paired-off counterparts.
Individual New Yorkers pay around $20,100 more in rent on average to live alone than their coupled counterparts, according to a new report from StreetEasy.
StreetEasy calculated the so-called “singles tax” by dividing NYC’s median asking rent for a one-bedroom apartment in December by two—the amount of cash a New Yorker would save by coupling up—and then multiplying it by 12 to find out a renter’s annual savings.
The takeaway? If you’re struggling to afford rent and to survive your latest situationship, it’s not you, it’s the city.
“As anyone on the dating scene in NYC will tell you, it’s not easy to be single here, and the lack of affordable rentals just adds another layer to that struggle,” Casey Roberts, a StreetEasy PR manager, said in a statement.
One-bedroom median asking rent | Singles tax | |
|---|---|---|
| Manhattan | $4,200 | $25,200 |
| Brooklyn | $3,049 | $18,294 |
| Queens | $2,650 | $15,900 |
| The Bronx | $2,599 | $15,594 |
| Staten Island | $1,900 | $11,400 |
| NYC Overall | $3,350 | $20,100 |
If it’s any consolation, that singles tax has remained the same for NYC renters since February 2024, the last time StreetEasy calculated the price of avoiding cohabitation. And singles in the outer boroughs save more than Manhattanites.
In Manhattan, single one-bedroom renters pay a whopping $25,000 more than those bunking together, while Brooklyn residents pay the second most for solo living in the five boroughs, at $18,294 per year. Queens was the borough with the third-highest singles tax, at $15,900; followed by the Bronx, at $15,594; and Staten Island, with a $11,400 singles tax.
On the other hand, New Yorkers willing to share their one-bedroom apartments will together save a combined average of $40,200 each year. (But don’t rush to shack up with your partner without talking it through.)
“Over the last five years, we’ve seen rents continue to set and break new records,” Roberts said. “So whether you’re living with a romantic partner, a friend, or even an acquaintance, it can make a lot of sense for New Yorkers to partner up to make living in the city work.”
If you’re locked into your lease until this summer, you could always ask a friend to “be mine” for next year’s Hallmark holiday.
