If you’re a single person looking to enjoy the single life without having to break your budget, you had better not be living in any of the 11 most expensive cities in America for singles.
These cities, according to a 2015 survey conducted by GoBanking Rates, have the highest price tags for four of the most usual things that single people spend on clothing, gym memberships, dating, and rent. GoBanking Rates surveyed 89 cities, and we have listed 11 of the most expensive of them. Coincidentally, most of the cities on this list are also on the list of the 11 most expensive cities to rent in America.
Read on to find out if your city is one of them – and if you should start packing up!
11. Irvine, CA
Irvine’s being on this list is far from being surprising. After all, Irvine’s status as one of the best cities in the US comes with a high price. And for dating singles, this price comes at a hefty $137 for an average date night and $1.80 per square foot of real estate.
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10. Seattle, WA
There is no way to live cheaply in a city whose economy is the 11th largest in the United States. With a booming tech industry and a thriving industrial economy, singles can expect to shell out more cash for an average date at $131 or for clothing for $77.
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9. Miami, FL
With a strong economy come great financial responsibilities – especially for singles. Miami’s international business community has raised the prices of living as a single person here, especially where real estate is concerned. The square footage rates of rental in Miami were listed at $1.95, the sixth highest in a survey of 89 cities nationwide.
8. Anchorage, AL
Anchorage is one of the most naturally beautiful cities on this list, so if you’re a single person living here or are planning to move here anytime soon, you may want to skip the sit-down dates and take free nature trips instead. The average cost of a date night in Anchorage is at $122. But perhaps what makes this city one of the most expensive for singles is the high price of getting fit: a gym membership here averages $68 a month which ranks third highest overall in the study.
7. Glendale, CA
With shopping being one of the most popular pastimes in Glendale, it does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why it bagged the seventh spot on this list of the 11 most expensive cities in America for singles. But one of the most expensive lifestyle staple for singletons in Glendale is not their wardrobe but gym membership, which lists at $68 dollars a month on average, sharing the third most expensive spot for gym membership rates with Anchorage.
6. Fremont, CA
If you are single and you live in Fremont, you had better be creative about date nights because the regular date night here averages a whopping $161 per date night – surprisingly only the second highest rate in all the cities surveyed. Singles in Fremont are also better off sharing an apartment than getting the house all to themselves because the per-square-foot rate is higher than in New York City at $1.94.
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5. Boston, MA
Being one of the most globally competitive, economically powerful cities has its benefits, but it also has its fair share of disadvantages. And one of Boston’s downsides is being one of the most expensive cities in America for singles. Shopping, dating, and going to Boston gyms can take a toll on anyone’s budget, but the rent ranks among the third highest in the entire survey at a staggering $2.33 per square foot.
4. Honolulu, HI
Going on a date in Honolulu is relatively lower than the other cities on this list at $134, but a shopping spree will leave anyone bankrupt with average wardrobe staple prices listing at $80 on average. This gives Honolulu one of the steepest shopping prices in all the 89 cities on this survey.
3. Washington DC
Single residents of Washington DC may want to just make use of the city’s many parks, wide, roads, and generally beautiful urban outdoors to go running or brisk walking for their fitness needs, lest they’d have to pay $70 for each month of gym membership – one of the highest on this list of pretty expensive things. Singles on a budget may want to skimp on date nights because an average romantic rendezvous here could cost $166.
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2. New York City, NY
With the bustling, hurried, and exciting lifestyle that New York City, it seems like it’s a little too good to be true for single people. And it is. All the excitement and urbane adventure come at a steep price: gym memberships cost $90 monthly – second-ranked overall in all the cities surveyed; date nights cost $145 on average, and the average article of clothing could cost around $82 each.
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1. San Francisco, CA
Topping this list of the most expensive cities in America for singles is no less than San Francisco in California. Everything in this city is expensive especially the rent which averages at $3.36 per square foot. With a national median real estate rental cost of $0.91 per square foot, San Francisco’s rental rates can really tear a hole in anybody’s budget. Dates in San Francisco are not the most expensive in the 89 cities surveyed, but at $145, it is still a steep price to pay for something that could potentially turn into heartbreak.
If there is anything that this list of the 11 most expensive cities in America for singles proves, it’s that the single lifestyle has its unique needs that could cost as much as the lifestyles of people who are married and have kids. Is your city on this list?
