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.

The CSO reports that the median house price in Ireland is €390,000. A 30-year mortgage, allowing for a 10% deposit, would have monthly repayments of around €1,500 per month, interest rate dependent. 

In my experience, lenders like to use a 30% net income rule when stress-testing a mortgage. Then if €1,500 per month is 30% of a homeowner’s income, they’d need to be taking home approximately €5,000 per month, after tax.

That’s a take-home salary of about €60,000 per year, meaning that a single borrower buying the average-priced home in Ireland should be earning around €95,000 per year. The median salary in Ireland was just shy of €45,000 last year, according to the CSO.

Already, you can see that the borrower would have to spend some time saving their 10% deposit, plus their salary should be over double the median.

Extend that concept a little further, and it’s all of the cost of housing. When paying utility bills, the same standing charge applies, and appliances still run regardless of how many people are in a property, such as a fridge, freezer, light, and heat.

That’s far easier for a couple (or more) to share. Property insurance is not only cheaper for two to pay, as opposed to one, but in some cases single people can be a greater risk for insurance companies.

When it comes to food, there are economies of scale when it comes to cooking for two or a larger family. Cooking for one can be more expensive per portion, and still uses similar energy as cooking for two or more people. 

While I might be able to feed my family of four for €200 per week, for example, a single person may spend €75 for similar items, even though they are cooking for one. 

We rarely buy our food by weight anymore, and buying products in parcels and packages leads to more food waste.

Raising a family is particularly challenging due to having to be all things to all people. 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%). 

Four in five single-adult households with children have at least some level of difficulty in making ends meet; 29.3% of all people living in single-adult households with children under 18 were unable to afford new (not second-hand) clothes in 2025 — up from 22.7% in 2024.

Holidays can be problematic. Many hotels and guest accommodation still charge a single supplement, which is a penalty for one person staying in a room. Others charge a per room price, which is much cheaper per person when shared by a couple.

Both men and women can be solo travellers. But women in particular are more vulnerable when travelling solo. We often choose more central hotels, less walking at night, more taking safer modes of transport like taxis. All of these come at a higher cost.

I know that many women do book shared accommodation such as hostels with no problems, but others don’t feel safe in these environments and pay the financial penalty for hotels that are in areas considered safer and close to public transport.

Car insurance can be cheaper if you have a named driver on your policy. 

Without a named driver, singletons may be paying a premium simply for being insured.

I priced travel insurance last week, and a leading Irish travel insurer will cover a single person annually for international cover for a cost of €78. While that may seem like good value, I also priced couples insurance and go figure, that cost is just under €126. Significantly cheaper for those in relationships.

As a singleton, you bear all the responsibilities for life and the future yourself alone. Couples share items such as pensions, life insurance, and plan for shared finances in the future together. 

In a joint partnership, if one person is ill, there’s another to rely upon for physical and financial support. For a single person with responsibilities, there’s a whole load of hoops to jump through to guarantee their income or livelihood without background support.

Considering the wide range of households and family situations in Ireland at the moment, it’s surprising that so many organisations and businesses effectively penalise single-adult households. 

Maybe it’s a hangover from “Catholic Ireland” and has something to do with the suggestion that the “woman’s place is in the home”? Maybe the Government would be better looking less at tradwife culture and more at household equality?

REDMOND RECOMMENDS

With the lack of rain, the amount of airborne particles in our environments can reduce air quality. Even for those who don’t normally experience breathing problems, the increased dust and pollen have been unpleasant.

I recently invested in an air quality monitor and lightweight purifier for the home office, and it’s made quite the difference.

On a budget, I chose the Ikea Alpstuga sensor and Uppatvind purifier, which cost me €60 total. You can pay more if you want smart features, but it’s enough for me to understand what the CO2 volume is in a small room, the temperature, and fine particles in the air. 

If you’re struggling with air quality, it’s worth checking out.