Living alone has always carried a certain mystique, the freedom to decorate without compromise, to eat cereal for dinner, to come and go on your own terms, to put something down and find it right where you left it. But freedom has a price, and in 2025 that price is rising. Singles around the world are increasingly feeling the pinch of what has been dubbed the “singles tax,” the extra cost associated with living solo in cities that were not built for one.

Globally, the numbers tell the same story. In the United States, a widely cited analysis found that solo renters pay on average more than US $7,000 a year in what some call the “singles tax” simply because they live in a one‑bedroom by themselves. In New York City, the premium can reach $20,100 annually. In India, singles often pay an ad

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