How much people spend on dating each year varies significantly by age, income, and relationship status. But the aggregate numbers are striking regardless of how you slice the data. Americans collectively spend billions of dollars annually on dating: restaurant bills, dating app subscriptions, transportation, clothing, and grooming. Understanding the cost of dating by age group reveals not just how much people spend on dating. It also reveals what their spending priorities say about how different generations approach romance.
The Overall Cost of Dating in the US
Before breaking down the numbers by age group, it helps to establish what the overall cost of dating looks like nationally.
According to the BMO Real Financial Progress Index (Ipsos, 2025, n=2,500), the average American adult spends $2,279 per year on dates. The all-in cost of a single date, including pre-date grooming and transportation, comes to approximately $168.
The same survey found that singles typically go on around ten dates before committing. The cost of finding a partner can reach around $1,678. These are not trivial sums. And they do not include dating app subscriptions, which represent a recurring additional cost for most active daters.
The data also shows significant behavioral pressure from these costs. A 2026 BMO follow-up found that half of Americans who date have gone on fewer dates or chosen cheaper activities due to rising costs. Nearly half of single Americans, 47%, say dating is simply not financially worth the investment.
How Gen Z Spends on Dating
Gen Z presents one of the more contradictory pictures in dating spending data, and the 2025 research captures that contradiction clearly.
BMO's 2025 survey found that Gen Z spends an average of $194 per date, outspending millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers on a per-date basis. At around 14 dates per year, Gen Z's estimated annual dating spend comes to approximately $2,676, the highest of any generation.
Bank of America's 2025 Better Money Habits study found that 53% of Gen Z men and 54% of women spend $0 per month on dating. Another quarter reported spending less than $100 per month.
These two datasets are not necessarily contradictory. They reflect the polarized nature of Gen Z dating behavior. A segment is dating actively and spending more per date than any other generation. But the majority is either not dating at all or keeping costs extremely low. A segment of Gen Z is dating actively and spending more per date than any other generation. But the majority is either not dating at all or keeping costs extremely low. The average is being pulled upward by a minority of high spenders.
This frugality reflects both financial constraint and shifting cultural norms. Many Gen Z adults report a preference for low-cost first dates, going dutch, or alternating who pays.
How Millennials Spend on Dating
Millennials tend to spend more per date than any other generation in recent data, and the figures have risen sharply.
BMO's 2026 survey found that millennials report the highest average cost per date at $252, a 32% increase from the prior year. This makes millennials the biggest per-date spenders among all generations tracked. Millennial men in committed relationships represent the highest-spending demographic of all, with an average date cost of $252.
The cost structure of dating in your thirties reflects higher disposable income alongside greater intentionality. Millennials tend to date less frequently than Gen Z. But they spend significantly more per date. The preference shifts toward nicer restaurants, more structured experiences, and dates that signal a higher level of investment in the encounter.
The BMO data also found that 40% of millennials say the cost of dating gets in the way of their financial goals. This tension between spending on dating and broader financial progress is a consistent theme across the survey's millennial findings.
Dating app spending remains significant for this age group. The pattern tends toward fewer apps with more premium investment rather than multiple simultaneous subscriptions.
How Gen X and Baby Boomers Spend on Dating
Dating costs among older generations tell a different story: lower per-date spending, but meaningful totals for those who are active in the dating market.
BMO's 2025 data found that Gen X spends an average of $172 per date and baby boomers spend $127 per date. Both figures are meaningfully lower than the millennial and Gen Z averages, reflecting either greater financial caution or a preference for lower-cost activities.
People re-entering the dating market in their 40s and 50s often do so after the end of a long-term relationship or marriage. This tends to produce a more selective approach to dating. Lower overall frequency, but meaningful annual totals for active daters.
One cost that tends to be disproportionately high for this age group is childcare. For single parents actively dating, the cost of arranging childcare for evenings out is a significant addition to the direct cost of dating. It is rarely captured in general surveys of dating expenditure.
Dating app use in this age group tends to be more focused. Spending on premium features tends to be higher on a per-app basis, reflecting a willingness to pay for quality and visibility over volume.
What the Spending Patterns Reveal
Looking at how much people spend on dating across age groups reveals several patterns that go beyond the raw numbers.
First, there is a clear K-shaped dynamic in dating spending. As the 2026 BMO survey described it, one group is cutting dating costs entirely by skipping dates or opting for home-cooked meals. Another group is spending $300 or more per date and increasing that figure year over year. The middle is hollowing out.
Second, the relationship between age and spending is not linear. Millennials in their thirties spend more per date than Gen Z, despite Gen Z going on more dates overall. Per-date investment rises with age and income up to the millennial cohort, then falls among older generations.
Third, the rising cost of dating is producing behavioral change. The 2026 BMO survey found that 50% of Gen Z and 40% of millennials say dating costs get in the way of their financial goals. Half of all active daters say they have reduced frequency or switched to cheaper activities as a result.
Conclusion
The cost of dating is something most people track less carefully than almost any other major category of personal spending. But the data tells a clear story. The average American adult has spent over $2,200 per year on dating in recent surveys. Millennials and active Gen Z daters push that figure higher on a per-date basis. Understanding how much you spend on dating, and how that compares to your generation, is a useful first step toward making those costs intentional.
