Online dating is more cost-effective than traditional ways of finding your significant other, according to research by global brokerage company ConvergEx.
The New York-based company calculated that online dating could save someone around $6,400.
Using data from statisticbrain.com, ConvergEx strategists noted that couples who meet online date for a shorter period of time than couples who meet offline.
According to the stats, couples who meet in a traditional way date for approximately 42 months before marriage, whereas couples who met online date for around 18.5 months.
ConvergEx said: “At a conservative estimate of one date per week and a cost of $130 per date — $100 for a meal and drinks at a nice restaurant, plus $30 for two movie tickets and popcorn — the dating phase prior to an offline marriage runs up a $23,660 tab.
“The average dating site customer spends just $239 a year for online memberships, which more than pays for itself to the tune of $12,803 in cost savings from fewer dates.
“Assuming you go Dutch, each party saves a touch over $6,400 in choosing the online route to marital bliss.”
However with singles getting married later, and the argument by some studies that online dating creates a “shopping mentality”, while the relationship of a to-be married couple may well be cheaper, it is probably outweighed by a higher number of pre-marriage dates.