EXPLORING GEN Z'S RELATIONSHIP ECONOMICS: INCREASING DATING COSTS PROMPT FINANCIAL REASSESSMENT; SAVING STRATEGIES ON THE RISE

"A large income is the best recipe for happiness," said Jane Austen in the 19th century. Cut to 2026, Gen Z would not disagree. For a generation that wants to manifest love, the reality check comes in a bill. Café dates, dinners, and experiences can quickly turn a casual meet-up into a full-blown expense.

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Looking at her bank balance, 25-year-old Shreya Roy often finds herself thinking, “Maybe I should stay single this month.” For Shreya, dating these days feels like an expensive hobby she never signed up for. “The meeting spot is rarely anything below an expensive café, and what starts as a ₹350 coffee somehow casually snowballs into a ₹2,000–₹3,000 day,” she says. “My bank balance definitely has strong opinions about my love life.”

For Gen Z, dating comes with more than chemistry—it comes with a price tag. From café dates and dinners to gifts, travel, and experiences, the cost of romance can quickly add up. While some are finding creative ways to keep costs down, others are questioning how much they can realistically spend on dating.

For Somdeb D, however, money has never dictated his relationship choices. “She values the person more than an expensive plan, so spending time together never comes with pressure to make it picture-perfect,” he says.

And the financial reality is hard to ignore: nearly one in four Gen Zers say finances have led them to delay moving a relationship forward.

Can Gen Z afford to date?

• 51% of Gen Z spend $0 a month on romantic dates
• 24% say they are delaying moving relationships forward because of finances
• 75% look for ways to save when going out, suggesting that socialising and dating are increasingly being approached with a budget in mind

Budgeting their way

• 75% of Gen Z look for ways to save when going out
• 40% have cut back on dining out to manage rising costs
• 24% have passed on events with friends, while 16% have taken up a side hustle

“It’s subjective and can range from ₹2,000 to ₹10,000 a month, depending on what we’re doing and how often we meet. For me, it’s affordable as long as it fits comfortably within my expenses and doesn’t interfere with other financial priorities,” says Sristhi Jain.

For Shreya, the maths is more straightforward. “If it’s weekly, roughly ₹2,500 a date means around ₹10,000 a month — before the miscellaneous damage: gifts, flowers, travel and those ‘let’s just grab coffee’ plans that somehow become dinner.”

When your wallet says slow down

For Jhanvi M, the month before her partner’s birthday brings a financial reality check. “I’m staring at my bank balance like, ‘Okay… maybe we don’t need to order food this month.’ Gifts are my biggest financial weakness; I always go a little overboard.”

“At times I do like to keep a separate budget for dating. Most of it usually goes towards the experiences we share, whether it’s trying a new restaurant, exploring a new place, or simply doing something fun together. For me, it’s less about how much we spend and more about the experience and the memories we create together.” - Sristhi Jain

'Love has poor financial discipline'

“I don’t have a spreadsheet titled ‘Dating Expenses’, but I know where the money goes: half on coffee and munching, a quarter on flowers and meet-ups, and the rest on travelling,” says Shreya, adding, “Sometimes the budget spills over — sorry, but love has poor financial discipline.”

Jhanvi’s approach is less spreadsheet, more spontaneous spending. “There’s a new matcha place we HAVE to try — 99.99% of the time said by me — and suddenly the weekend’s planned. Most of our money disappears into café hopping, good food and ₹300-per-person track sessions in Bandra, because apparently paying to voluntarily lose the ability to breathe is a hobby now.”

For Somdeb D, though, money has never been a relationship deal-breaker. “She values the person more than an expensive plan, so spending time together never comes with pressure to make it picture-perfect.”