Sky-high inflation has affected nearly every aspect of life in the U.S. While general attention seems to flock and flow to things like eggs and gas, there’s another area heavily affected by inflation—date night.
In this report, our team looks at the data behind how inflation is affecting the cost of date night and what this is doing to consumer spending habits. Additionally, we’ll look at how couples can react to keep the spark alive without ditching date night.
Key Takeaways
- The cost of recreational activities in the U.S. climbed nearly 5x faster between 2021 and 2024 than in previous years, making traditional date-night experiences significantly more expensive.
- The cost of going out to eat on a date increased at a rate 2.3x higher than previous years over the same period.
- Inflation doesn’t just affect dinner dates because of cost, but rising costs for restaurants can affect experience quality and flatten dining diversity.
- Concert tickets, a popular staple of date night, have seen prices increased an average of 51% from 2021 to 2024 putting opportunities out of reach for many couples.
- The average U.S. worker had to work 3x as many days to afford the average pair of tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour (2023) vs. the ‘Reputation’ Tour (2018).
- A 2022 report (prior to the largest increases in date night costs) showed that 1 in 5 people in the U.S. were going on fewer dates because of inflation, with nearly 40% making some change in their date night spending habits as a result of inflation.
Table of Contents
- The Rising Cost of Entertainment
- Inflation Affects Dinner Dates in More Ways Than You Think
- Concert Ticket Price Increases
- Taylor Swift as a Case Study
- Consumer Behavior In Response to Inflation
- How Couples Can Keep the Spark Alive
- Sources and Considerations
The Rising Cost of Entertainment
Shared entertainment sits at the heart of date night for many couples. From 2010-2020, the average increase in the cost of entertainment in the U.S. annually was 0.61%.1 However, from 2021-2024, that skyrocketed to an increase rate nearly 5x that (3.11% annually). This included increase rates over 4% in 2022 and 2023.1
The sharp increases cooled a little in 2024 dropping down to 1.5%.1
However, this cooling may not be as good of news as it appears at first glance. The percentage increase of 1.5% is still higher than any year from 2010-2020. Additionally, as you’ll see when looking at individual industries, this may heavily be a function of decreased demand and industries being forced to react.
What This Means for Daters
The takeaway for daters is that inflation has made entertainment as a whole considerably more expensive over the past few years. Compounded with other factors influenced by inflation, an effect on couples can be expected.
Inflation Affects Dinner Dates in More Ways Than You Think
As we niche down into more specific date night activities and how they’ve been affected by inflation, the obvious first stop is going out to eat, arguably one of the most popular date night activities. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Consumer Price Index (CPI) data, the average annual increase in the cost of going out to eat from 2010-2020 was 2.5%.2 From 2021-2024, that skyrocketed to an annual average of 5.8%, a 2.3x increase in cost.2
Similarly to entertainment costs, the rate of annual cost increase for eating out dropped to 4.08% in 2024, but again, this was still higher than any single year from 2010-2020.2
Direct Costs Aren’t the Only Thing to Consider
While inflation has affected the raw costs of ingredients, it has also had several downstream consequences that can affect date night. According to an article on dining by Vox, attendance for fast-food and fast-casual restaurants is up, but the return to sit-down style restaurants (the staple of date nights) has been slower.
While costs are cited as a reason, inflation’s less obvious effects are mentioned. First, chain restaurants are booming while smaller independent restaurants are struggling to stay afloat, resulting in higher costs and a flattening of the diversity of the dining scene.
Secondly, staffing challenges and decreases in tips due to tightening of spending may be souring the quality of the experience for couples. According to a recent Bankrate survey, in 2021, 75% of people said they always tipped at a sit-down restaurant. In 2024, that number is only 67%.
What This Means for Daters
The takeaway for daters is that eating out is more expensive, may be a less enjoyable experience, and comes with less diversity of unique cuisines and hidden gem restaurants.
Concert Ticket Price Increases
Another popular date night activity in the U.S. is concerts and live music. However, the cost of grabbing a pair of tickets to your favorite band or singer is not what it used to be.
From 2021-2024, the average price of a concert ticket is up an eyewatering 51%.3 Here’s a look at pricing changes by year for the top 100 tours in North America, as well as other key industry markers, from Pollstar’s annual report.
| Year | Gross | Avg. Gross | Tickets Sold | Avg. Tickets Sold | Avg. Ticket Price | YoY Ticket Price Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $6.18B | $1.86M | 45.3M | 13,634 | $136.45 | 0.42% |
| 2023 | $6.6B | $2.04M | 48.8M | 15,008 | $135.88 | 21.9% |
| 2022 | $4.8B | $1.32M | 42.8M | 11,813 | $111.49 | 28.0% |
| 2021 | $818.4M | $661,067 | 18.6M | 7,590 | $87.10 | ~ |
| % Change 2023-2024 | -6.79% | -8.78% | -7.17% | -9.16% | 0.42% | ~ |
As you can see, over the past few years, the increase in the price of concert tickets has been substantial with 2022 and 2023 being the steepest at 28.0% and 21.9%, respectively.
In 2024, we do see a decrease to less than 1%. However, this decrease also comes with substantial drops in ticket sales and revenues for tours. While this would normally feel like a win, it’s most likely a function of decreased demand due to tightening spending.
Taylor Swift as a Case Study
Putting these increases into a real world example can sometimes help to understand the effects. For this example, we’d like to use Taylor Swift. Here’s some data:
- The Average Price of a Pair of Tickets to the ‘Reputation’ Tour was $558 (2018)4
- The Average Price of a Pair of Tickets to the Eras Tour was $2,176 (2023)5
- The Average Hourly Wage for All Workers in the U.S. in 2018 was $27.106
- The Average Hourly Wage for All Workers in the U.S. in 2023 was $33.706
- The Average Ticket Price Increase from 2018-2023 is 45.6%.3, 7
Based on this data, here are some takeaways:
- In 2018, the average person would have to work 20.6 hours (or 2.6 days) to be able to afford a pair of tickets (for date night) to go see Taylor Swift’s ‘Reputation’ Tour.
- In 2023, the average person would have to work 64.6 hours (or 8.1 days) to be able to afford a pair of tickets (for date night) to go see Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
This equates to a 3.14x (214%) increase in the amount of work required to afford a date night to go see Taylor Swift.
Removing Popularity as a Factor
While the effect on couples is still the same, it’s possible that the increase may be partly due to an increase in demand and popularity. To mitigate this, we can look at what a pair of tickets to the ‘Reputation’ Tour would cost in 2023 and calculate the number of required work days.
As mentioned, the average ticket price increase from 2018-2023 was 45.6%. This would make the ticket price for the ‘Reputation’ Tour $812.45 for a pair of tickets in 2023 dollars. If you calculate the time needed to earn this, you’d be working 24.1 hours or just over 3 days.
This would still work out to requiring 17.1% more work to afford the tickets. This also does not take into account the increased costs of food and drinks at the tour, which would further increase the divide.
Consumer Behavior In Response to Inflation
The most recent data that exists specifically looking at consumer date night behavior in response to inflation comes from a 2022 survey from LendingTree. While the data is a few years old, it’s worth noting that this data is from before the biggest price hikes and inflationary factors took hold of the entertainment and date night industries. Because of this, we may be able to infer that things could have only gotten more impactful as a result.
Note: Our team will be conducting more current research on this topic that will be released soon.
Here are the big takeaways from the survey:
- 1 in 5 (19%) say they are going on fewer dates as a result of inflation.
- 14% say they are trying to spend less money on dates.
- 38% say that inflation has resulted in some sort of change to their date night spending habits.
How Couples Can Keep the Spark Alive
Regardless of what the economy is doing, protecting the quality of your relationship is important. Here are some tips to help you maximize date night while limiting costs.
- Don’t be scared of coupons. – When you can find ways to save on entertainment, take advantage of it. There’s nothing embarrassing about being smart enough to grab savings when they’re right in front of you.
- Look for small ways to save. – Small changes add up over time. For example, going out to eat and skipping the appetizer or deciding to do dessert at home can add up quickly. Look for opportunities to cut costs in small ways.
- Remember that every date doesn’t have to be over the top. – There’s a cliche that every date needs to be wildly Instagram worthy or it’s not a great date. The reality is that even some of the simplest of dates can generate the best connection. Don’t overthink it, and just focus on spending quality time together doing something other than scrolling on your phones.
Sources and Considerations
If you have any questions or comments on this data, please reach out to us at [email protected].
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CPIRECSL.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CUUR0000SEFV.
- Pollstar, https://news.pollstar.com/2024/12/13/2024bizanalysis/.
- SeatGeek, https://seatgeek.com/blog/taylor-swift-reputation-tour.
- CNBC, https://www.cnbc.com/2023/12/06/2023-stubhub-top-artists-taylor-swift-beyonce-adele.html.
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/CES0500000003.
- Pollstar, https://news.pollstar.com/2018/12/17/year-end-special-features-top-tours-ticket-sales-charts-industry-pros-weigh-in-on-2018/.