More Canadians believe love costs more this year

Money stress is now pushing nearly one in five Canadians to consider ending a relationship – and that shift is changing how households make financial decisions and manage risk. 

According to the 2026 Love and Money Benchmark Survey by Money Mentors, 17 percent of Canadians say their financial situation has led them to consider breaking up, separating or divorcing a partner at some point, up from 11 percent last year.  

One in four (25 percent) say financial factors have negatively affected their relationships or dating lives in the past year. 

EQ Bank’s Money and Relationships Survey reports that 80 percent of Canadian couples and 83 percent of singles are more cautious about spending than in previous years, while about 70 percent in both groups say major life milestones feel harder to reach now.  

The bank also finds that 61 percent of couples and 65 percent of singles feel more stressed about their finances than before. 

For couples, money has become a more explicit part of the relationship calculation.  

EQ Bank says 74 percent of couples now see being in a relationship as a bigger financial advantage than in the past, but 55 percent worry more about how their finances would change if their relationship ended.  

Among couples with children, that concern rises to 66 percent.  

Nearly half of couples (47 percent) say they look financially successful to others but feel less financially secure than in previous years, and 35 percent of couples who report higher income now still feel less secure than they appear. 

Single Canadians report a similar squeeze.  

EQ Bank says 64 percent of singles feel the cost of living has made being single financially riskier, and 64 percent say it is now harder to keep pace financially with peers in relationships.  

At the same time, 68 percent say finances do not factor into their relationship decisions any more than before, and 64 percent remain confident about reaching their goals alone and staying on track for long-term objectives. 

On the emotional side, Money Mentors finds that 52 percent of Canadians in relationships have experienced personal effects after arguing about money, up from 47 percent last year.  

The survey reports that 34 percent cite increased anxiety and/or depression and 25 percent report poor sleep after financial disagreements.  

Money Mentors also finds rising honesty risks: 11 percent of Canadians in relationships admit they have lied to their partner about their financial situation to avoid conflict (up from 8 percent), and 13 percent say they have considered lying (up from 10 percent). 

Stacy Yanchuk Oleksy, CEO of Money Mentors, calls this trend “a serious red flag,” saying that financial stress is “showing up as anxiety, lost sleep, and tension at home,” and that when couples feel “stuck or ashamed to talk about money, the stress only grows.” 

Disagreement triggers and transparency patterns round out the picture.  

Money Mentors reports that the most common causes of financial conflict are day-to-day spending (28 percent) and lack of savings (24 percent).  

The share of Canadians in relationships who say they have no financial disagreements has fallen from 45 percent in 2025 to 39 percent.  

Yet 50 percent say they are very open and share everything, including a joint bank account, 40 percent keep separate accounts but share important information, and only 2 percent say they do not discuss finances at all. 

Behaviourally, EQ Bank says more couples who share or discuss finances are tightening how they manage joint money:  

• 19 percent track shared spending more closely 

• 16 percent review credit card and account statements together more often 

• 16 percent set aside more for a shared emergency fund 

• a smaller share are formalizing or changing how they split expenses, including income-based or more dynamic arrangements. 

As a softer indicator of discretionary spending, EQ Bank reports that 51 percent of Canadian couples plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year, with those celebrating expecting to spend a mean $126, and Gen Z couples planning a mean $110.  

About 30 percent of Canadians who celebrate say they will spend less or nothing because of the current cost of living, often by cooking at home, staying in or choosing low-cost or free activities. 

These findings come from Money Mentors’ 2026 Love and Money Benchmark Survey and EQ Bank’s Money and Relationships Survey.