How the Cost of Living is Impacting our Relationships

Last updated 13 January , 2025

Australians aren’t just bearing the brunt of the cost-of-living crisis at the checkout – according to new research, it’s putting pressure on our relationships, too.

In their latest report, Relationships Australia interviewed over 3,000 people about their closest connections, wellbeing, and mental health.

When asked about the number one challenge they faced in their relationships, most people named the cost of living, affecting approximately 5.6 million Australians. This is the first time the cost of living has been identified as a pressure in relationships, which was newly added to the report to reflect this emerging struggle.

Nick Tebbey, CEO of Relationships Australia, says the Relationships Indicators 2024 report found a close link between economic pressures and relationship wellbeing.

“Our findings show that cost of living is more than just a financial issue – it’s fundamentally reshaping how Australians experience and maintain their relationships,” he said.

“These statistics reveal a deeply concerning trend. When cost of living pressures intensify, they don’t just impact bank accounts – they erode life satisfaction, increase loneliness, and contribute to overall distress.”

People who reported cost of living pressures were more likely to face other major challenges:

Money problems – 64% of people
Division of household tasks – 54% of people
Increase in social media use – 49% of people
Gambling concerns – 46% of people

Unfortunately, certain parts of the community were also disproportionately impacted by these pressures, including families with children aged under 15, people living with a disability, people who identified as LGBTQIA+, people with long-term mental or physical health conditions, and carers.

Concerningly, the majority of people said that they didn’t seek professional help or social support when they were having problems, instead trying to address it by themselves. As prices continue to surge, it’s critical that we have affordable and accessible relationship services available to people when they do need help and want to seek it out.

Other key insights

Beyond the cost of living, the research provided crucial insights into the state of relationships today and how they’ve evolved.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

more Australians experienced relationship pressures in the past six months, at 79% of people – an almost 8% increase from 2022
a greater number of people felt lonely and/or unsafe in their relationships than two years ago
a majority of people said their partner is their most meaningful relationship, but it’s also the most challenging
people listed their friends and mothers as the next most significant relationships
63% of people said they were satisfied with their life, with these rates increasing after the age of 65
people aged between 25 and 54 felt the most pressure in their relationships
to cope with relationship struggles, people said they found communicating about pressures as the most helpful, followed by acceptance, and compromising or understanding
38% of respondents had experienced a break-up in the past six months, 11% a separation, and 17% a divorce.

Relationships Australia are advocating for the ongoing funding of relationship services and to develop national responses to specific issues like domestic and family violence, mental health, and loneliness.

Read the full Relationship Indicators 2024 report.

If you’re feeling stressed or pressured in your relationships, we encourage you to reach out to us to see how we can help. Whether you need support with a romantic partner, family member, or friend, we’re here to chat.