Faced with rising prices, singles looking for love and young couples are forced to watch their budget, with more than one in three singles (37%) admitting to having less money for dates than six months ago.
Life has become more expensive in recent months, and young couples and singles are not immune to the effects of this. According to the survey conducted by the dating site Meetic, singles have a smaller budget than half a year ago, and are therefore opting to meet potential partners in "affordable or totally free places" such as fast-food restaurants, free museums, the local park or an interesting neighbourhood.
Two studies, conducted by the dating sites Happn and Meetic last September and December, suggest that the average expenditure on a date is between €20 and 40 per person.
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Aside from dates, the cost of many gifts that are popular among lovers have also sharply increased. Jewellery has become more expensive over the last two years with the price of gold increasing by 13%, while chocolates have gone up with basic ingredients such as cocoa and sugar increasing in price by an average of 29% over the past two years.
The result is that young lovers are developing new behaviour to light the spark or keep the existing flame alive. More people are choosing to make their own gifts or to cook for their partner at home, the survey suggests.
