Three heart shaped balloons float in the wind in front of a shop ahead of Valentine s Day in Lyon in France on February 6 2026. (Photo by Matthieu Delaty / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images) By Andrea Bossi ·Updated February 10, 2026 /> Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…

It has long been understood that being single is more expensive, but that narrative is shifting. It’s not that it’s getting any cheaper to live on one income, but there’s a generational shift in understanding the value of being single.

There is a very real financial consequence dubbed the “single’s tax” that describes paying for rent, food, other necessities, and wants with one income when single instead of two when partnered up. Though the so-called tax affects any gender, the narrative around it is quickly changing today, especially from the perspective of women. Whatever singleness might cost Black women, it’s making up for it in happiness. 

Compared to men, single women reported more contentment in being single, according to a recent survey by Ally Bank. The same survey also found that singles face higher rates of financial anxiety than those in relationships. Rather than a