Essential housing costs - rent or a mortgage, council tax and fuel - set single people back £7,974 a year on average, whereas couples spend £6,215 each, according to Hargreaves Lansdown.
Single people are forced to spend 22% more on rent or mortgages, council tax and energy, 28% more on food and 32% more on broadband and phones.
Just 20% of people with a mortgage live alone, according to Hamptons, and building a "massive pension" is just not an option for people like Lisa McQuoid, 44, from Colchester.
"It's a very difficult situation for single people," said Hargreaves Lansdown's Sarah.
Lenders also typically consider a mortgage between four and five times a household's annual salary, putting many properties out of reach for single people.
