It actually is a surprise that costs drive people to live alone. Living alone is vastly more expensive than living with someone else.

As someone who has valued being able to live alone and recently went through a breakup after living with gf for a couple years -

Makes absolute sense.

First of all, in current always-up-never-down housing market (which has been like that since i bought my apartment over ten years ago) needing to move is always risky since you're basically always buying at worse value if time has passed.

Secondly, needing to buy a new place when you've been living with friends or partner or family for a while can be a lot of work. Once you're invested with loans and stuff you need a really good reasons to change that situation.

And then again in reference to the unhealthy market- if you sell higher than you bought you pay tax on the profit. If you're buying more expensive than you're selling as well, you're taking a hit.

I've basically just decided to keep my first apartment for ever, literally no benefit to ever selling it at this point. If i move in with a partner or something I'll just use it as an office or worst case rent it out or whatever.

Fun fact - if I'd sold my old apartment when I moved in with with ex I'm not certain i could have afforded to buy it today, likely I'd have to buy something smaller or further out of town.

Living together is increasingly becoming a very risky thing, whereas owning your own apartment sometimes feels like the only safety left in life.

> Living alone is vastly more expensive than living with someone else.

Hmm, how so?

Well, multiple people means you split the rent/bills for starters.

For starters, having a roommate is cheaper than not having one.