Inflation hasn’t just killed brunch, owning a home, or taking that dream trip. It’s killing romance.
According to Bank of America’s 2025 Better Money Habits report, 53 percent of Gen Z spend zero dollars per month on dating. Not even a shared appetizer. The study also found that 28 percent more cap their monthly romance budget at under $100. Financial anxiety, student debt, and the absurd cost of existing have nudged young daters away from dinner dates and toward “affordable” alternatives—like simply not going out at all.
Gen Z hasn’t abandoned dating; they’ve just downsized it. Romance now means drinks at home, neighborhood walks, or splitting groceries for a meal you cook together. The focus is on low-pressure, low-cost connections, not grand gestures. On TikTok, creators share tips for finding dates without swiping: skip the apps, try a hotel bar, or look approachable at your local bookstore. As the MarketWatch coverage of the report noted, the shift reflects a growing burnout with online dating altogether.
Gen Z Doesn’t Spend Money on Dating Anymore
Roughly 75 percent of Gen Z say they’re tired of swiping, according to a Fortune-cited study, describing the apps as emotionally draining and mostly transactional. Instead, more are gravitating toward real-life connection points like supper clubs, bookstore events, and friend-of-a-friend setups. Dating costs add up, but so does disappointment. Gen Z is done paying for both.
That pragmatism extends to how Gen Z screens potential partners. A majority say financial responsibility is a priority when choosing someone to date—78 percent, to be exact. That number climbs even higher among women, 81 percent of whom say they want a partner who knows how to handle money.
Bank of America’s report also revealed that Gen Zers don’t feel pressured by peers to overspend and are increasingly comfortable saying no to outings they can’t afford. That same line of thinking is bleeding into their dating lives. They’d rather skip the fancy cocktails than rack up a credit card balance for someone they’re not even sure about.
Dating apps and brands are paying attention. They’re experimenting with features that highlight shared experiences and real-world meetups rather than just algorithmic matches and emoji flirting. For Gen Z, love isn’t dead—it’s just more financially literate now.
Maybe romance hasn’t lost its spark. The dates got cheaper, but the standards didn’t.
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