Caitríona Redmond: The hidden costs of living alone

From housing and holidays to insurance and utilities, single adults often pay more for the basics. The toll isn’t always financial either.

The CSO reported in December 2025 that those living in single-adult households with children under 18 were most likely to experience enforced deprivation in 2025 (48.7%).

LIVING alone can be expensive in ways that are easy to miss until you are the person paying every bill yourself. 

Let’s start with housing, be it rent or mortgage. That’s a lot to pay for one person, and it’s incredibly difficult for a single-income first-time buyer to get a home.