Most single people don't want to split the bill 50/50

Majority of single Australians think if you earn more, you should pay more. 

Majority of single Australians think if you earn more, you should pay more.

As the cost of living increases, it appears we’re entering our “slut non-practicing era”.

The cause is a tasteless cocktail of inflation, interest rate rises and generalised bootstrapping. This triggers the age-old dating conundrum:

“Who pays for the first date?”

While the natural response in a modern love era is to split it in half, majority of single Australians think you should split according to who earns more.

Victoria Devine, financial advisor and big brain behind the She’s On The Money empire says it’s time to stop splitting equally and start paying with equity in mind.

“People get really triggered by this and think it should be completely even,” she tells The Oz. 

“But there's a point in a relationship where you do need to split in a way that is not 50/50.

"It comes down to equality and equity and knowing what the difference between those two things is.”

Turns out, three in five (62%) single Aussies agree, according to exclusive data provided by dating app company Bumble. 

What’s more, one in seven Australians reports having a diminished sex life as a result of their finances.

Additionally, new research from ING revealed the amount Aussie singles spend on dating has almost quadrupled since 2017, going from $11.7 billion to $42.8 billion a year in 2022 - with the average first date bill costing $154.16.

Deep in date-flation

Devine suggests we need to look at “what equal actually means” when it comes to splitting the bill.

“Consider splitting expenses based on the percentage of income so the lower income earner can still save money and be in a similar state of financial security,” she shares.

For those mathematically challenged, here’s a breakdown:

Person A earns $150,000.

Person B earns $75,000.

The bill comes to $200 (not on my happy hour beer dates, but for number's sake) and thus person A contributes double what person B does to ensure an “equitable” split.

Sounds like a mood-killer? Let’s proceed.

Is talking about money... hot?

Shuddering from the frigid winds of my former flames, I peril to think about bringing up the conversation of percentage-splitting a bill based on income. Is there ever a means to discuss money on a date that’s… hot?

“I think in this current climate, it's kind of the perfect time to have these conversations because it is so top of mind for everyone,” Lucille McCart, APAC Communications Director for Bumble tells The Oz.

So... how much do you earn?

The woman responsible for countless successful swipe rights argues financial values are equally, if not more important, to compatibility in relationships.

It’s a sentiment Devine echoes, noting “the thing about money conversations is that we automatically assume we have to have a conversation about what we earn and that's not the case.”

Devine advises framing the conversation in terms of values.

“Ask what kind of night you like to have; bougie or low key. It’s a way of speaking about budgets without explicitly saying this is my income and what’s in my savings account.”

Our discomfort with money conversations, Devine argues generally boils down to internalised stereotypes.

“I think we need to differentiate who we are and what our income is,” she explains. “Too often we connect our personal wealth and our self-worth in our relationship to our ability to generate income.”