One in five young people can't afford to break up
The survey of 3,000 young adults, by Lifetime Isa provider OneFamily, found nearly three in ten single young adults do not have an emergency fund, compared with one in six in a relationship.
Single savers said they manage to put aside an average of £301 per month - around half the £609 those in relationships are saving.
OneFamily boss Jim Islam said: 'These stats are shocking, people are potentially staying in unhappy relationships because the bills are too high to contemplate managing on their own.'
'It's a tax on being single, made worse by the rising bills.'
Experts recommend keeping between three and six months' worth of essential spending in cash savings to fall back on.
This must cover rent and mortgage payments, utility bills, food shopping, insurance and any other essential monthly spending in the event a person should lose their job or fall ill.
Households spend an average of £2,062 on essentials each month, according to a report from stockbroker Hargreaves Lansdown.
This means people would need to have between £6,186 and £12,372 saved for an adequate emergency fund.
Mr Islam said: 'Building a savings pot absolutely supports financial resilience, which means less vulnerability to the ups and downs of life.'
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