January 13, 2026
Pair up or pay up?
The Housing Market Isn't for Single People
Commenters say it's 'pair up or pay up' while others blame one-size-fits-all housing rules
TLDR: Singles face rents double the old affordability rule, making solo living financially brutal. Commenters clash: some say co‑living or couples are the only workaround, others demand policy fixes and reject one‑size‑fits‑all expectations, with jokes about “friend houses” and cat rooms softening the sticker shock.
The math hit like a reality show plot twist: with a median single income around $45k, the old “30% of income” rule says $1,125 for housing, but average one‑bed rent is $2,109. Cue the comments turning into a group chat meltdown. Some shouted “pair up or pay up”, arguing multi‑generation and per‑adult co‑living is the obvious answer, while others roasted the ever‑bigger homes trend as lifestyle creep. The article’s backstory on the 30% rule—born from the OECD in the ’80s, after Canada once floated 20%—gave commenters ammo to claim the standard is outdated and outmatched by 2025 realities and Abacus anxiety stats.
Then the drama: independence vs roommates. One camp insisted grown‑up life means bigger households, not solo living; another countered that at a “certain stage,” you want space, not a stranger in your kitchen. HPsquared poured gasoline on it: even with money pressure, people still stay single—why? bluGill brought Adam Smith receipts and a policy rant: stop forcing one vision of “normal,” fix incentives, and quit the one‑size‑fits‑all. Meanwhile, jokesters revived the “friend house with a cat room” fantasy, complete with a weekly housekeeper and a nurse on speed dial—half meme, half blueprint. With CMHC mortgage numbers rising, the vibe was equal parts spreadsheet pain and sitcom brainstorming.
Key Points
- •A 2024 Abacus survey found nearly three in five Canadians are concerned about losing their home or rental due to financial issues, with single people especially affected.
- •For a median single income of $45,069 in Canada, the 30% affordability threshold equals about $1,125/month, while the average one-bedroom rent in January 2025 was $2,109.
- •In 2024, Canadian average monthly mortgage payments ranged from $1,337 in New Brunswick to $2,836 in British Columbia; in the U.S., the average was $2,209 (US), with California at $2,500 and West Virginia at $960.
- •The OECD defines 40% of income spent on housing as ‘overburdened’ and popularized the 30% affordability standard in the 1980s; Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and Australia use this guideline, while Quebec uses 25%.
- •Historically, affordability standards targeted 20% of income (e.g., the 1944 Curtis Report), later rising to 25% and then 30%; the Curtis Report recommended one-third of new construction be nonprofit public housing.