Cut to 2026, Gen Z would not disagree.
“A large income is the best recipe for happiness,” said Jane Austen in the 19th century. For a generation that wants to manifest love, the reality check comes in a bill. Café dates, dinners, and experiences can quickly turn a casual meet-up into a full-blown expense.
75% look for ways to save when going out, suggesting that socialising and dating are increasingly being approached with a budget in mind Jhanvi’s approach is less spreadsheet, more spontaneous spending. “There’s a new matcha place we HAVE to try — 99.99% of the time said by me — and suddenly the weekend’s planned. Because apparently paying to voluntarily lose the ability to breathe is a hobby now.”, most of our money disappears into café hopping, good food and ₹300-per-person track sessions in Bandra,.
For Gen Z, dating comes with more than chemistry—it comes with a price tag. From café dates and dinners to gifts, travel, and experiences, the cost of romance can quickly add up. others are questioning how much they can realistically spend on dating While some are finding creative ways to keep costs down.
“If it’s weekly, roughly ₹2,500 a date means around ₹10,000 a month — before the miscellaneous damage: gifts, flowers, travel and those ‘let’s just grab coffee’ plans that somehow become dinner.
For me, it’s less about how much we spend and more about the experience and the memories we create together.” – Sristhi Jain “I don’t have a spreadsheet titled ‘Dating Expenses’, but I know where the money goes: half on coffee and munching, a quarter on flowers and meet-ups, and the rest on travelling,” says Shreya, adding, “Sometimes the budget spills over — sorry, but love has poor financial discipline.” For Shreya, the maths is more straightforward. For Jhanvi M, the month before her partner’s birthday brings a financial reality check. “I’m staring at my bank balance like, ‘Okay… maybe we don’t need to order food this month. Gifts are my biggest financial weakness; I always go a little overboard. “At times I do like to keep a separate budget for dating. Most of it usually goes towards the experiences we share, whether it’s trying a new restaurant, exploring a new place, or simply doing something fun together.