It's not a reason to stay in an unhappy marriage, but it is eye-opening
A recent survey by Redfin has revealed that nearly 70% of single, divorced, or separated individuals struggle to afford housing payments, significantly higher than the 52% of married individuals who face a similar financial burden.
Single individuals often bear the full burden of rent or mortgage payments without the benefit of dual incomes. According to the survey, 63% of single respondents and 69% of divorced respondents reported household incomes under $50,000 annually. In contrast, only 26% of married respondents fell into this income bracket, while 29% of married couples had household incomes exceeding $100,000, compared to just 7% of singles and 6% of divorced individuals.
Married couples also benefit from tax advantages that single individuals do not receive, further strengthening their financial security.
Benefits of cohabitation
The survey found that individuals who live with a partner, but are not married, face the most financial hardship, with 76% struggling to afford housing payments. Living alone can be especially costly. In Washington, D.C., where over half of adults are single, the median rent for a one-bedroom apartment is $1,908 per month. A single person bears the entire cost, while a couple splitting expenses would each pay just $954. Over a year, this equates to an additional $11,448 in housing costs for a single renter.
The financial burden is even steeper in high-cost cities such as Los Angeles, where a typical one-bedroom apartment rents for $2,480 per month. A single renter would pay an extra $14,880 annually compared to someone sharing the rent with a partner.
Sacrifices to afford housing
The report also underscores the sacrifices single people make to keep up with housing costs. Among those who struggle, 27% of divorced or separated individuals and 21% of single respondents reported skipping meals to make housing payments, compared to 14% of married individuals. Additionally, non-married individuals were more likely to rely on financial help from family or take on side jobs to cover housing expenses.
“The high cost of housing tends to hit single people hardest because they can’t pool resources with a partner to cover the same costs, unless they’re willing to have roommates,” noted Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather. “It’s important to include single people living alone or with roommates when examining ways to ease the affordability crisis. People who aren’t yet married, or aren’t interested in getting married or living with a partner, often have to make more sacrifices to cover their housing costs than their coupled-up counterparts, which is one reason the government should consider zoning for single-room housing, like dormitories, and ADUs.”
Despite the financial struggles, most Americans continue to make their housing payments on time. According to the US Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, only 4% to 6% of homeowners, regardless of marital status, were late on their mortgage payments as of September 2024. Renters, however, faced higher delinquency rates, with 14% of married renters and 15% of divorced renters falling behind on rent.
The Redfin-commissioned survey, conducted by Ipsos in September 2024, polled 1,802 US residents aged 18-65.
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