35% of Belgian households are made up of a single person. Singles, widowers or single-parent families who pay the bills alone and therefore for whom the increase in the cost of living is particularly difficult. In one year, the minimum budget for a decent living has increased by 100 euros.
Multiple bills and a single person to pay for them: this is the reality experienced by one out of three Belgian households. Housing is the most important reason for spending. A single person spends 40% of their monthly budget on housing, compared to barely 30% for a family. Other costs are invariable whether you are alone or with others. “A television is the same price and it consumes the same thing whether you are a person or a family”, notes Philippe Defeyt, economist. Ditto for home insurance, rent, fixed gas costs, electricity. The expenses are more and more difficult to assume with the increase in the cost of living
In Namur, for example, according to a study by the Institute for Sustainable Development, in June 2021, a single adult must spend €1,400/month while in June 2022, €1,500 is needed, i.e. an additional €100 monthly. “The panel is very diverseemphasizes arla Dejonghe, deputy from Brussels. Young, old, single, widowed, divorced, single-parent families… Due to the vagaries of life, at some point, everyone will find themselves alone…”
The phenomenon is expected to increase; by 2060, one in two households will consist of a single person.