Would like to meet
Anastasia De Waal, 1 August 2010
Someone to share council tax bills and dinner with; must have an appetite for exotic holidays; GSOH (Good Salary, Own House) essential, writes Annaliese Briggs.
Sharing a mortgage is cheaper per head than going solo. Paying 50% of a council tax bill is a better deal than paying 75%. A single occupancy hotel room is the short straw of holiday package deals. It’s simple maths, really. Two average incomes bring in more than one, and holiday companies will take advantage to make a little extra cash. This is all common knowledge, but research published by uSwitch.com reveals just how lucrative living and traveling with a partner can be.
The ‘independent price comparison and switching service’ suggests singletons pay, on average, an extra £4,794 per year on ‘essential living costs’ than smug cohabiting couples (the fact that 60% of couples prefer their lifestyle, compared to 20% of singles, qualifies any bitter sentiments implied). That’s £254,082 over the course of a sad and lonely lifetime-the price of a spacious studio flat complete with modern interior, wooden floors and feature fireplace, all conveniently located on the doorstep of Battersea’s chic amenities. Ironic, right?
Rent and mortgage repayments are, regardless of relationship status, our biggest burden. Mr and Mrs Average, living blissfully together, will spend approximately £3,804 each on their rent or averagely sized mortgage-that’s 15.9% of an average income leaving joint bank accounts every month. On the other hand, Miss Average, living alone, will spend 29.5% of her average income on rent. Home ownership, as far as most online mortgage calculators are concerned, is exclusive couple territory.
According to the latest ONS statistics, in 2009 one-person households accounted for 29% of all households, an increase of 11% since 1970. If equality in the workplace, the postponing of marriage and delaying childrearing is creating this seemingly irreversible trajectory, we can expect annual outgoings on rent, bills and food to follow suit. If so, can we reasonably expect the Government to intervene in the name of cushioning the consequences equality and longevity bring? An unlikely prospect given the Tories’ rhetoric on married couple tax-breaks – so perhaps they’d like to find us partners.