New poll reveals the cost of having friends for Gen Z and millennials

A new poll of Gen Z’ers and millennials found that having friends costs an average of $250 a month.

That’s money spent on brunches, dinners, bar nights and general hangs. The average for men is $296, and for women $208.

44 percent have skipped a major event with friends because of the cost, and one in four say social spending makes it hard to save any money. But the pressure to meet up is just too much for a lot of younger adults. 24 percent say they’d feel left out if they couldn’t do what their friends were doing because they couldn’t afford it.

A lot of people are in the same boat though, and it’s leading to new strategies among friend groups. 23 percent agreed with the statement, “My friends and I prioritize ‘no spend hangs’ so we can spend time together without spending money.”

With all that being said, most of the people said it’s worth spending money, even when they shouldn’t, to have friends.