Revealed:
The cost of love in America is $6,138 a year
CouponPi polled 1,000 Americans to uncover the true cost of love across the country.
A successful relationship requires time and energy, but also, money. The average U.S. wedding costs around $30,000, but even if you don’t get married, how many dollars does it take to maintain a healthy, happy relationship? What is the price of love in modern America?
To find out, CouponPi surveyed 1,000 Americans about their relationship expenses: from gift-giving to weekend getaways. Respondents were also asked about the financial dynamics of their relationships, and their spending habits were compared with their relationship satisfaction to see if financial investment paid off.
How Much Are Americans Spending on Their Relationship?
The poll showed that the annual cost of a relationship is $6,138, with $5,579 spent on dates and activities, and $559 on gifts.
The greatest single expense in the study is eating out with your partner – which 93.8% of respondents do and most commonly twice per month. Eating out twice per month with a partner adds up to $135 a month, or $1,624 per person per year. That’s over a quarter (26.5%) of all costs.
The second largest expense (25.6%) is on events, like concerts or sports events. The most common frequency of attendance is once a month, with an average spend of $131 per month, or $1,569 per year.
Casual outings (like going to a museum, or grabbing a coffee out) are the third biggest cost, at an average spend of $100 per month. Taking these small moments to be together adds up to $1,203 cumulatively.
How Much Are Americans Spending on Activities and Dates With Their Partner?
Nearly all couples (93.8%) said they found the time to have a lunch or dinner date every month, with the most common frequency being twice a month. The most common spend on eating out per month was $135 each, which adds up to a cost of $1,624 a year. A little less is spent on casual outings, which also have a frequency of twice a month, at an estimated $1,203 per year.
But the most expensive one-off expense is on weekend getaways. Nearly eight in ten (79.3%) said they go on weekend getaways, and when asked how often the most common answer was around every five months (which equates to 0.2 times a month or 2.4 times a year). The most common spend is $493 – but one in ten respondents (10.7%) said they spent more than $1001 on these romantic weekend trips.
Respondents who did not participate often in activities with their partner were less likely to be happy with their relationship. Couples who attend events with their partners have a 90% happiness rate compared to 67.8% of those who don’t. And those who go on weekend getaways had a 90.5% happiness rate, compared to 69.4% of those who don’t.
How Much Are Americans Spending on Gifts for Their Partner?
Exchanging presents isn’t just a frivolous indulgence – gift-giving is considered one of the five love languages. But all of these gifts add up. The biggest spend is on seasonal holiday gifts (like Christmas gifts) with the most common spend being $103.
The next greatest spend was on anniversary gifts (the most common spend was $97) followed by birthday gifts ($94). In total, the annual spend on gifts amounts to $559.
To view methodology and data on how spending on relationships differs for unmarried vs unmarried couples please visit the source page here: https://www.couponpi.com/blog/cost-of-relationships
