True cost
How Much Does Dating Cost Per Month?
The price right now
$194.00 — per month, computed from the sourced annual figure of $2,323 (2,323 ÷ 12 = 193.58)
- $189.00 · one date, all in
- $2,323.00 · a year of dating
Prices as of February 2026 survey data. The two sourced numbers are $189 for an average date and $2,323 for a year; the monthly figure is the annual one divided by twelve. Dividing the annual by the per-date gives about 12.3 dates a year, which is why the monthly cost and the cost of a single date come out almost identical.
Sources: BMO Real Financial Progress Index, February 2026 (via Fortune) — average date $189 all in, $2,323 a year
What it really costs per year
| Cost item | Per year | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Per month | $194 | 6 hours 18 minutes of median-income work every month, and 27 hours at the federal minimum wage — most of three and a half working days a month. BMO Real Financial Progress Index, February 2026 (via Fortune) — average date $189 all in, $2,323 a year |
| Across a year | varies | $2,323: 75 hours of median-income work, 46 hours at $50 an hour, and 320 hours at the federal minimum wage — eight full work weeks. BMO Real Financial Progress Index, February 2026 (via Fortune) — average date $189 all in, $2,323 a year |
| One date | varies | $189 all in — about 6 hours of median-income work and 26 hours at the federal minimum wage. That is the same figure our night-out page runs on, because it is the same survey. BMO Real Financial Progress Index, February 2026 (via Fortune) — average date $189 all in, $2,323 a year |
| Why the month and the date cost the same | varies | $2,323 ÷ $189 is about 12.3 dates a year — almost exactly one a month. So the monthly figure and the single-date figure land within five dollars of each other, and either one answers the question. BMO Real Financial Progress Index, February 2026 (via Fortune) — average date $189 all in, $2,323 a year |
| What it is not | varies | This is the cost of dating, not of a relationship. It measures dates: the meals, the drinks, the tickets, the transport. It does not include gifts, holidays or anything two people buy together once they have stopped counting dates. |
| Total per year | $2,323 | The sourced annual figure. $193.58 a month, rounded to $194 — and about 12.3 dates a year at the sourced $189 each. |
The price in hours of your life
The same yearly figure, converted into working time — one year of this habit costs you:
| Income level | Hourly | Hours of work / year | Work weeks / year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal minimum wage | $7.25 | 320 | ≈ 8 |
| Median US full-time income | $30.83 | 75 | ≈ 1.9 |
| Higher incomeexample | $50.00 | 46 | ≈ 1.2 |
Sources: US DOL — federal minimum, unchanged since 2009 · BLS Usual Weekly Earnings, Q1 2026 — median weekly earnings $1,233 ÷ 40h
Prefer to start from your side of the math? Calculate your exact hourly rate first — it's remembered for the session.
Six hours a month, eight work weeks a year
Dating is one of the few categories where the monthly figure and the per-unit figure are the same number, and that tells you the shape of it: the average is about one date a month at $189, which is six hours of median-income work. Framed that way it is unremarkable — an evening out costs an evening's work, which is roughly what you would expect. The year is the number that surprises people. $2,323 is 75 hours of median-income work and 320 hours at the federal minimum wage: eight full work weeks, for twelve evenings. At the bottom of the wage scale a single date costs 26 hours, more than three working days, which changes what a casual dinner actually asks of someone. Nothing here argues for spending less. It argues for knowing that a dozen evenings is two months of minimum-wage work, before you decide whether that is the right dozen evenings.
For
- About 6 hours of median-income work a month — an evening out for roughly an evening's work
- The monthly and per-date figures are nearly identical, so one number covers both questions
- It is entirely frequency-driven: the same $189 date twice as often is simply twice the year
Against
- $2,323 a year is 75 hours of median-income work — nearly two full work weeks
- At the federal minimum wage that is 320 hours, eight work weeks, for twelve evenings
- A single $189 date is 26 minimum-wage hours: more than three working days for one night
Frequently asked questions
How much does dating cost per month?
About $194 a month, computed from a sourced annual figure of $2,323 in BMO's February 2026 survey. That is roughly 6 hours of work at the median US income.
How much does the average date cost?
$189 all in, covering the meal, drinks, tickets and transport. That is about 6 hours of median-income work, or 26 hours at the federal minimum wage.
How many dates a year does that assume?
About 12.3 — the sourced $2,323 a year divided by the sourced $189 a date. Roughly one date a month, which is why the monthly and per-date figures are almost the same.
How many hours of work is a year of dating?
About 75 hours at the median US income of $30.83 an hour, 46 hours at $50 an hour, and 320 hours at the federal minimum wage — eight full work weeks at the bottom tier.