There isn’t a box on the census form that allows you to tick “single and fabulous”. And those of you old enough to get that Sex and the City reference are probably married or partnered.How do we know? Well, the 2022 census shows us that of the 3.2 million people over the age of 30 in the Republic, 58.6 per cent are either married, remarried or in a same-sex civil partnership.That percentage rises to 62.8 per cent for people aged over 40, which would include the millennials who remember Carrie Bradshaw wrestling with her single status at the time of that particular episode’s airing in 1999.It means there are at least 1.9 million people who can share the financial burden of rent or home ownership, energy and grocery bills, holidays and weddings with their partner or spouse. Conversely, the number of over 30s who are single, separated or divorced is 1.1 million. Although that figure includes cohabiting couples who are single as far as the State is concerned.Nevertheless, there are a lot of people who must shoulder those living costs alone. Particularly at the younger end of the spectrum, for whom renting while trying to buy a home has coincided with the State’s worst housing crisis in generations.Pricewatch editor Conor Pope has been laying it out on this week’s Better with Money podcast.“Let’s say a house costs €400,000. As a first-time buyer, you’re expected to have 10% of that, which is €40,000 [for a deposit].”As Pope notes, that’s just one part of the challenge. The single person also needs to earn twice what the average person in a couple earns in order to qualify for a mortgage.“So that person who wants to buy the €400,000 house needs a salary of a hundred grand versus a salary of €50,000 each for a couple. They also need to save the €40,000 deposit on their own. And that can place owning a property beyond the reach of an awful lot of people.”Tell me about it, laments Emer McLysaght, writer and columnist for The Irish Times. The co-author of the OMG What a Complete Aisling series is self-employed, which she says adds another layer of complexity and challenge, when trying to convince a bank manager to bestow the gift of gargantuan debt upon her.“You’re trying to get things in order. You’re trying to earn enough ... it’s a very specific set of circumstances that makes it difficult.”Then there’s tax. While the State’s system of taxation doesn’t explicitly “penalise” single people, there is a financial benefit for couples who are jointly assessed. Sharing tax credits puts their household in a more advantageous position than that of their single counterpart.As if that wasn’t galling enough, there’s the issue of inheritance. A husband or wife can leave their entire estate to their spouse without any tax implications. The single person, who perhaps had to work twice as hard to accrue the same assets, leaves a quagmire of red tape, legal fees and an alphabet soup of tax terms for their beneficiary. And all of that is before you even start considering the less serious, but perennially head-melting, financial aspects of singledom. Groceries for one work out more expensive, supplements are slapped on hotel rooms, and attending weddings starts to feel like a licence to print money. A topic about which McLysaght is extremely exercised.“Getting married is a choice. It’s not an achievement. I don’t understand why people expect to be congratulated in €200 and €300 cash sums. It, I, it just absolutely baffles me!”And as for the single person putting €100 in an envelope, while the couple puts €150? She isn’t having any of it. Playing devil’s advocate (we think), Conor Pope suggests there’s no rule forcing you to put €100 in an envelope.“And may I add,” she replies, “I never have!” But the single life certainly isn’t all that bad. Particularly for those who find themselves in the fortunate position of being able to live alone. Earlier this year, McLysaght dedicated her column to the joys of solo living. Chief among them was not having to accommodate other people’s mad ways. Dishwasher-stacking philistines, begone. Canal boat-sized shoes of male housemates? Avast!Whoopi Goldberg gave The New York Times short shrift in 2016 when she was asked why she didn’t see herself getting married again.“I don’t want somebody in my house,” she responded.There are many a harried parent who would wholly agree.You can listen to this episode on the player above or search for Better with Money wherever you get your podcasts.