Adults across the UK spend more than £111 per month on dates and dating apps, equating to more than £1,300 a year, according to Barclays research from 2025. For under 30s in particular, cost is a significant barrier: over half of Gen Z adults feel the expense impacts their ability to go on dates. With cocktails regularly topping £15 and restaurant bills climbing, even a casual evening out can quickly become expensive — fuelling a long-running debate over who should pick up the tab.
Jennifer Read-Dominguez, a digital editor who is currently single, believes whoever asks for a first date should be prepared to pay for it. She says women "can absolutely foot the bill themselves but that's not the point". "Sometimes it's nice to take a step back from always being the one making decisions and simply enjoy feeling feminine and being looked after." For her, a man paying on a first date is not about dependence or inequality but "effort and keeping some traditional gestures alive in modern dating". She says the amount spent matters far less than the thought behind it, and she'd be just as happy being taken to a fast-food restaurant as a high-end one, as long as it's "within their means".
“UK singles spend over £111 a month on dates as debate over who pays divides opinion.”
But one experience left her feeling taken advantage of. She went on a date where a man took her to an expensive restaurant, complained about the cost and suggested they split the bill. When his card failed, Read-Dominguez ended up paying for the entire meal. "He said he'd pay me back, but he never did. I could afford it, but that's not the point. I think he assumed I'd simply absorb the cost and I did but I felt used."
Yasmin El-Saie, a content creator from London, says she would be "put off if a man expected us to split the bill on a first date". "When a man pays, he's showing he wants his date to feel comfortable and looked after," she explains. "Maybe it's a double standard and down to my upbringing, but I still find it attractive." That doesn't mean she expects men to pay for everything — if a date continues elsewhere, she is happy to contribute. "If he pays for dinner and we go for drinks afterwards, I'd happily get the drinks. I wouldn't want anyone to feel used." One memorable date involved a recent divorcee who was determined to keep finances separate, taking her to a buffet restaurant where diners were charged according to the number of food sticks they took.