Adults across the UK spend more than £111 per month on dates and dating apps, equating to more than £1,300 per year, according to 2025 research from Barclays. With cocktails regularly topping £15 and restaurant bills climbing, even a casual evening out can quickly become expensive. For under 30s in particular, cost is a great barrier: over half of Gen Z adults feel the expense impacts their ability to go on dates.
Opinion on who should pay is sharply divided. 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." For her, a man paying is about "effort and keeping some traditional gestures alive in modern dating." She would be just as happy at a fast-food restaurant as a high-end one, as long as it is "within their means."
“UK adults spend £111/month on dates; opinion splits on who should pay, with some seeing a man paying as romantic.”
One date went badly: a man took her to an expensive restaurant, complained about the cost and suggested they split the bill. When his card failed, Jennifer 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." The experience left her feeling taken advantage of. "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." She sees a man paying as a sign he wants his date to "feel comfortable and looked after." She admits it might be a double standard but finds 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. The pair went to a buffet restaurant where diners were charged according to the number of food sticks they took. The outcome of that date is not recorded, but the BBC article notes that even seemingly simple arrangements can become fraught when expectations clash.
With dating costs rising and generations renegotiating gender roles, the question of who pays remains a tense undercurrent for millions of single Britons.