Nearly Twice as Many Singles Struggle with Housing Costs Compared to Married Couples, Report Says
LAS VEGAS, NV – While the housing market has proven difficult to navigate for much of the nation in recent years due to numerous factors such as high prices and interest rates on home loans, a new Redfin survey indicates that the trials and tribulations of homeownership are proving to be nearly twice as hard on single people as opposed to married ones.
According to the survey, which was conducted in November 2025 amongst 4,000 U.S. residents, approximately two-thirds of single people – 64 percent – found it to be a serious hardship to be able to afford their rent or mortgage payments, as opposed to 39 percent of married people.
Both rents and home sale prices have risen considerably prior to the levels they were at before the pandemic, with rents currently 20 percent higher and home prices up nearly 50 percent; wages have increased as well, but not nearly at the same rate as housing costs and other day-to-day living expenses.
But still, married couples are having an easier go of it when it comes to their ability to afford housing when compared to singles, and Redfin has narrowed down the reasons why to three important factors.
First, household income for single people is generally lower, and when they find themselves paying prices better suited to a double income, financial strain nearly always follows. 48 percent of single survey respondents noted that they make less than $50,000 annually, whereas 62 percent of married people bring in a combined income of $100,000; 21 percent bring in up to $500,000.
Second, single people lack the tax advantages that married people can partake in, who also typically tend to split common household expenses – groceries, utilities, etc. – that single people are solely responsible for.
And finally, single people on average are younger than married couples, and as a result are typically in the earlier stages of their careers and have not reached their maximum earning potential yet, nor do they usually have much money saved up; they are also often in the process of paying off student debt as well.
These three factors contribute greatly to single people having more difficulty when it comes to the costs associated with housing than married people, but with more and more local governments addressing the ongoing national affordable housing crisis, new policies and developments are coming along that may help to address this discrepancy in the future.
Shelter Realty Property Management specializes in the areas of Henderson, Las Vegas and North Las Vegas, NV. Feel free to give us a call at 702.376.7379 so we can answer any questions you may have.
Christopher Boyle is an expert investigative journalist for SEARCHEN NETWORKS® and reports for independent news and media organizations in the United States. Christopher keeps a keen-eye on what’s happening in the Vegas real estate market on behalf of Shelter Realty Property Management