1 in 4 singles would fast-track moving in with a partner to save money

It’s been a tough, grinding year for millions of American households.

Consumers feel squeezed by the cost of groceries as prices rise on household staples like beef, coffee and chocolate. U.S.-based employers announced 153,000 job cuts in October, according to research firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas. And more than seven million people remain unemployed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

These financial stressors are having an impact on how Americans live — and even on the decisions single people make when dating.

About a quarter of American singles (23%) say they would move in with their partners earlier just to save money, according to a recent study from DatingNews.com and the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University, a research center dedicated to the study of sexuality, relationships and gender.

“Historically, the duration between meeting someone and moving in or getting married used to be a lot shorter,” says Justin Lehmiller, senior research fellow at the Kinsey Institute. As the average age of marriage has increased over time, that timetable has gotten longer.

“But I think we’re at the beginning of seeing things change a little bit in terms of how people are thinking about and approaching relationships,” he says.

Among the generations, Gen Z was the most likely to say it would speed up its relationship timeline to save money. More than a third of Gen Zers (38%) said they would move in faster. That’s compared to 29% of millennials and about 22% of Gen Xers.

“Gen Z is really the most financially strapped generation right now,” Lehmiller says.

For example, that generation is really feeling the brunt of AI’s effects on entry-level jobs.

“They seem to be more likely to view cohabitation and marriage as a way of alleviating some of the financial strain that they’re experiencing,” he says.

Men were also more likely to say they would bump up their relationship milestones. Nearly 29% said they would move in faster, versus about 19% of women.

“That might be driven in part by some of these economic factors we’ve been discussing,” Lehmiller says. “But we also know that for heterosexual men in particular, romantic relationships really become their primary source of social and emotional support.”

For those singles ready to jump into cohabitation, remember that while you might save some money in the short term, “accelerating your relationship timetable is risky,” says Lehmiller. “You might end up in a situation where you find that this person is not actually a good match for you long term.”

If that leads to a split down the road, moving out and rebuilding your life on your own will be costly, he says.

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