LOS ANGELES, Sept. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A breakup rarely ends when the relationship does.
For many people, moving on means rebuilding confidence, adjusting routines, and figuring out what comes next. As an online platform built around connection, Dating.com wanted to understand what recovery really looks like after a relationship ends.
To explore this, Dating.com surveyed 1,000 millennials about the aftermath of their most recent breakup. The findings reveal that heartbreak often comes with a financial, professional, and emotional price tag, what we call The Ex Tax.
The Real Cost of a Breakup Isn't Financial
When asked about the highest price their last breakup made them pay, a majority (55%) pointed to their mental health. By comparison, 23% cited their confidence, while just 6% said finances were the highest cost.
The finding suggests that while post-breakup spending often gets the attention, the emotional consequences are far more significant. For many millennials, the lasting impact of a breakup appears to be psychological rather than financial.
Heartbreak Has Become a Spending Trigger
Most respondents (59%) said they spent money trying to feel better after their last breakup. However, spending did not necessarily lead to recovery. Just 28% said those purchases helped them heal, while 51% said they did not.
The gap between spending and satisfaction is one of the survey's most striking findings. Many respondents appear willing to spend money to move forward after a breakup, even when those purchases ultimately fail to provide the emotional relief they hoped for.
The survey also found that while many respondents spent money after a breakup, relatively few regretted those purchases. More than half (52%) said they did not regret any of their post-breakup spending. Among those who did, nights out were the most commonly regretted purchase (19%), followed by clothes or shopping (13%) and a haircut or makeover (8%).
The findings suggest that even when spending did not accelerate healing, many respondents still viewed those purchases as part of their recovery process.
Self-Care Tops the Breakup Spending List
Among those who spent money after a breakup, self-care and pampering emerged as the most popular purchase, chosen by 42% of respondents. A new wardrobe followed at 22%, while 11% spent money on a holiday and 10% paid for therapy.
The findings suggest that recovery is often centered around wellbeing and confidence. Rather than focusing on dramatic changes, many respondents reported spending on experiences or activities intended to help them feel better about themselves and their daily lives.
Heartbreak Doesn't Stay at Home
The survey found that breakups often affected areas of life beyond relationships. More than a quarter (26%) said they lost sleep because of their last breakup, while 19% struggled to concentrate at work and another 19% canceled plans with friends or family. Ten percent called in sick, and 7% missed an important deadline or task.
The findings suggest that heartbreak frequently spills into work, health, and social life. For many respondents, a breakup's effects extended well beyond the relationship itself and into everyday routines.
Recovery Takes Longer Than Many Expect
Only 17% of respondents said they got over their last breakup in less than a month. The largest group (24%) needed between one and three months, while 22% needed between three and six months. More notably, 15% said it took more than a year to move on, and 10% admitted they are still not over their last breakup.
The results suggest that recovery is often a gradual process. While some respondents moved on relatively quickly, a sizeable minority reported emotional effects that lasted for many months—or even years.
Some Breakups Come With a Four-Figure Price Tag
For many respondents, getting over a breakup involved more than emotional effort. While 35% spent less than $100 and 33% spent between $100 and $500, nearly one in five (19%) spent between $500 and $1,000. A further 8% spent between $1,000 and $5,000, while 5% reported spending more than $5,000 trying to move on.
Although lower spending levels were more common, the findings show that a meaningful share of respondents incurred substantial costs following a breakup. For some, moving on became a significant financial commitment.
Many People Step Away From Dating
Moving on from a breakup often involves stepping away from dating altogether. While 11% said they started dating again immediately, 35% waited a few months before returning to the dating scene. More than one in five (22%) waited over a year, while 16% said they still have not started dating again.
The findings also suggest that recovery does not always follow a clear timeline. Earlier in the survey, 10% of respondents said they still haven't gotten over their last breakup. The fact that an even larger share (16%) have yet to return to dating suggests that for some millennials, moving on involves more than ending a relationship—it involves rebuilding the emotional confidence needed to start another one.
Recovery Comes With a Price Tag
The survey suggests that moving on is rarely a passive process. Respondents reported spending money, changing routines, investing in self-care, taking breaks from dating, and navigating emotional consequences that often lasted months after a relationship ended.
While every breakup is different, the findings point to a common reality: the end of a relationship can trigger a period of emotional, behavioral, and financial adjustment. For many millennials, the cost of moving on extends well beyond the breakup itself.
Jaime Bronstein, LCSW, relationship therapist at Dating.com, says the findings reflect a common reality of heartbreak: Breakups often leave people with a loss of identity, so it's normal to search for things that provide a sense of control and normalcy. That could look like investing in self-care, taking a vacation, changing their look, or temporarily leaving the dating scene. How someone chooses to heal isn't the issue; rather, it's whether they allow themselves to process their feelings.
Methodology
Dating.com surveyed 1,000 millennials about the emotional, behavioral, and financial impact of their most recent breakup. Respondents were asked about recovery timelines, post-breakup spending, emotional consequences, lifestyle disruptions, and dating behaviors following a breakup.
Ojima-Ojo Amanabo - [email protected]
SOURCE Dating.com
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