as a couple you save over 100 thousand euros in 15 years – Corriere.it

The single life bill? Savory. Counting the 8.3 million singles in Italy, including separated or widowed people, is Moneyfarm, an independent financial consultancy company which, starting from the Istat database, has compared the economy of life as a couple compared to that alone. The platform has calculated that those who live alone spend 571 euros more every month than a couple.

The identikit of singles

But let’s see why and who pays more. According to the survey, the highest percentages of families with only one member are recorded in the north-west and in central Italy, where they are respectively 35.2% and 35% of the total, while in the south they are 29.9%. Just over one person out of two (51%) is under 65 and going into the details of the marital status it is noted that the majority (40%) is made up of real singles: 3,331,000 people have chosen to be alone (for the moment), around 6% of the Italian population; under the age of 45, single men (11%) are almost twice as many as women (6%), but this ratio balances out over the years until it reverses slightly above the age of 65, with single women at 5% and unmarried at 3%.

To calculate how much it costs to be single, Moneyfarm first estimated the amount of expenses incurred by those who live alone, and then compared it with that of a family made up of two people. The average monthly expenditure for those who live alone is 1,796 euros, with a minimum of 1,666 euros for those over 65 and a maximum of 1,957 euros for those of working age, between 35 and 64 years old. A couple, on the other hand, has monthly costs of 2,451 euros: starting from the assumption that the expenses are divided in half between the two partners, in fact, those who live together spend 1,225 euros a month, 571 euros less than the 1,796 euros estimated for a single.

On the basis of Istat data, we note some consumption items for which the difference between singles and couples is more marked. First of all – they explain from MoneyFarm – to live in two you don’t need an apartment twice as large, so it is inevitable that spending on housing and utilities weighs much more on the budget of singles, with as much as 338 euros more per month (+71%). In second place are the costs for furniture and other home services, for which single people spend 66% more than a couple (a good 36 euros a month). Just adding up these first two items, those who live together spend 530 euros a month, against 904 euros for singles. Life as a couple is also convenient for travel and holidays, even when you go on holiday or out for dinner. As regards food, it must be kept in mind that the cost per kilo increases as the quantity purchased decreases, penalizing singles: for food and drink, those who live alone spend an average of 304 euros a month, against 236 euros per person for those who live together, with a higher cost of 68 euros (+29%). This item is also the one that, in absolute value, has the most impact on monthly expenses, after the house, they conclude from MoneyFarm.

Moneyfarm then calculated how much three people who had decided to move in together at different ages and to split the expenses with their partner in half would have set aside when they turned 50: Those who move in together at 45 will have saved 34,260 euros at the age of 50. Those who move in together at the age of 35 will have saved 102,780 euros at the age of 50. Those who move in together at the age of 25 will have saved a good 171,300 euros at the age of 50.