Rising consumer costs are increasingly shaping how Americans approach dating, with the total price of a typical night out now climbing well above recent levels. The average cost reaches $189 and younger adults report some of the sharpest increases, adding pressure on personal budgets and financial goals.
Highlights
- The average cost of a U.S. date hit $189 in 2025, up 12.5% from $168, outpacing the 3.3% annual inflation rate.
- Millennials now spend an average of $252 per date, up 32% from 2025, while Gen Z spends $205, up from $194.
- Half of respondents report dating less or opting for cheaper activities due to rising costs, impacting discretionary consumer spending patterns.
Date spending climbs faster than inflation
BMO's Real Financial Progress Index finds that the average cost of a date in the U.S. is now $189, covering expenses such as grooming, transportation and the outing itself. That is up 12.5% from an average of $168 in 2025, outpacing the U.S. annual inflation rate of 3.3% for the 12 months ending in March, based on Labor Department data released in April.Younger generations are seeing steeper increases. Millennials spend an average of $252 on date nights, up 32% from 2025, while Gen Z spends $205, compared with $194 previously.
About half of Gen Z and 40% of millennials say dating expenses are getting in the way of their financial goals. The trend suggests that romance-related spending is becoming a more visible category of discretionary consumer pressure.
Budget pressure reshapes dating behavior
Higher costs are also changing habits, with BMO finding that half of respondents say they are going on fewer dates or choosing lower-cost options such as picnics or hikes. That points to a shift in consumer behavior as households look for ways to balance social spending with broader affordability concerns.Quincy Yang, co-CEO of dating app Coffee Meets Bagel, previously told Business Insider that money and economics are major considerations for Gen Z. The combination of housing costs, income pressure and broader living expenses is making financial stability a larger factor in how younger adults think about relationships and dating.
Our earlier update on Bank of Montreal (BMO) focused on the bank’s shares trading in a bullish technical structure, with price holding above key moving averages and a near-term range framed around the C$205.34–C$209.50 zone. We also noted BMO’s push into AI and quantum computing through its Return on Intelligence podcast and the bank’s broad internal adoption of AI tools, alongside expectations that upside could depend on a decisive break above resistance.
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