Gen Z is rejecting $200 dates and choosing ‘solo-maxxing’—and dating apps are taking a hit

As Americans weather inflation, tariffs, and a rising cost of living, it feels as if there’s little room in their budgets for discretionary spending. And that means modern dating is taking a hit.

In fact, dating has gotten so expensive that a growing share of Gen Z and millennials are deciding that the cheapest (and calmest) option is to have no partner at all. They call this practice “solo maxxing,” which reframes single life less as a sad holding pattern between relationships and more of a deliberate lifestyle. (Maxxing comes from social media and internet slang for maximizing an action). They argue it’s cheaper, more predictable, and emotionally lower-risk.

The average “all-in” cost of a date in the U.S., including dinner, drinks, transportation, and pre-date grooming, has climbed to $189, up 12.5% from $168 a year earlier, according to Bank of Montreal’s 2026 Real Financial Progress Index report published in February. 

But Gen Z reports spending $205 a date, up from $194 in 2025, while millennials now drop $252 per outing, a 32% jump. Half of Gen Z respondents and 40% of millennials said the cost of dating is getting in the way of their financial goals. That’s, in part, due to restaurant prices rising: Average menu prices rose 31% between February 2020 and April 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s due to inflation straining restaurant operations, according to the National Restaurant Association.

So for a lot of young singles, the relationship math just isn’t mathing, so it can seemingly be more rational, in some cases, to exit the dating pool altogether. How this plays out in practice is actively choosing solo activities, avoiding going on dates, or getting off of dating apps. Even dating app executives have admitted Gen Z can be tough customers.

Traditional dating apps are “highly structured and can be intimidating to a user under 30,” Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff said during the company’s most recent earnings call earlier this month, and Tinder’s monthly active users in March were down 7% compared to the same period last year. To be sure, many dating apps are going all-in on investing in solutions for younger........

© Fortune