Following a draining stint at work, clinical psychologist Anasuya Dutta badly wanted a getaway. On her mind was a solo trip to Southeast Asia and she started searching for comfortable stays online. “Since I was travelling alone, I wanted a decent and reputable place, and that’s when I realised that room prices for one person and two are the same,” says Anasuya.
“You are actually paying for two beds and two breakfasts!”

Single working individuals in Indian cities face challenges finding affordable and safe housing, tailored travel options, and suitable dining facilities

She noticed honeymoon and family packages with curated itineraries, but nothing for solo travellers. “They put a lot of thought into what couples would enjoy but nothing of the sort for solo travellers. The alternative was group travel but I want to travel by myself, not share a room.” For a trip to Goa, Anasuya decided to go with a friend, which turned out to be relatively inexpensive since she wasn’t forced to opt for a premium hotel for the sake of safety.
“You pay for safety, not for luxury. A lot of cheap options are inaccessible for a single woman.”
Abhirupa Kundu, a 26-year-old who arrived at Chennai on landing her dream job, was all set to find a place for herself when she says sherealised that the concept of a safe, affordable and comfortable onebedroom-kitchen (1BHK) apartment didn’t exist in the city.

Table for one

“Whether you are one person or two, you have to pay Rs 30,000-Rs 35,000 if you want the safety of a gated community. Even co-living facilities charge you Rs 18,000-Rs20,000 for a shared room, in a shared apartment, which I wasn’t comfortable with,” says the media person. The other options were shabby, unused portions of old houses, so Abhirupa compromised on the neighbourhood. Eventually, she left her job and the city, as she realised she can never afford her ‘happy place’.
‘You’re just one person, your expenses must be next to nothing’ is something people living alone hear a lot, but this is far from the reality, say singles. The number of women living alone is increasing by the year in cities, and unlike in the past, they prioritise privacy and comfort; and want travel and entertainment options as individuals, not as groups.
When she was living with her spouse, expenses were half as they split the rent, groceries, cook, maid and electricity bills between them, says Paromita Sen, a resident of Chennai. “After I split with my partner and started living alone, I’ve notbeen able to afford a cook.”
Travelling too, Paromita recalls, was affordable as a couple since they were sharing the room, cab etc. “I go on short trips with friends now but in your 40s, you need a single room which hotels don’t offer at lower costs. Eventually you pay more vis a vis couple friends.”
While these woes are similar across the world, in major cities in the west and in Tokyo, with sizable numbers living alone in different stages of life, condos are built catering to their requirements. In the UK, companies offer ‘one person and a dog’ curated holidays, where the package includes pet-friendly hotels and restaurants.
In India on the other hand, society is still structured to cater to couples and families in every aspect of life, from medical needs to wifi even OTT plans.
“You get tax benefits claiming spouse and children as dependents, but my cats are dependent on me! And they have expensive medical needs too,” says Anasuya. “There are no schemes for single people saving for their future andretirement. Health care plans don’t take into account a single person who needs a system to take them to hospital.”
Few restaurants in India offer single portions, even, and when you dine alone, you have to order full plates, says C Bobby, a Delhiite who lives alone.
“You can’t finish a plate of butter chicken or biryani, for instance. You can pack, yes, but imagine carrying around a biryani the entire day if you reach home at night. There is nothing tailor-made for single individuals.”
Although they can’t be blamed for it, cooks too charge a standard amount even when they are cooking for just one person, says Anasuya. “A lot of food gets wasted. I think the one positive in this direction is services such as Swiggy’s “Serves One” which delivers affordable meals customised for one person.”
While the situation might seem dreary for the hapless singles, real estate companies are making a note of the situation, and there is hope. Such is the demand for clean and well-ventilated 1BHKs that at DLF Commander’s Court, a complex of 170 premium studio apartments in Egmore, the units get rented out as soon as a tenant vacates, says Jathin Kothari, CEO, Kothari estates who launched the complex.
“They are all occupied by people living alone. Another such project in ECR made up of 150 studio apartments sold out in hours.” Considering the demand, they are launching another project of 220 1 BHK apartments in OMR, which will have facilities keeping the single working person in mind, he says.
“The rooftop will be a lounge space with a sea view deck which also has wifi, where single residents can work in the day or chill in the evenings. More of such will be coming up in Indian cities in the future for sure, especially in IT hubs.”
While many of these extra expenses cannot be blamed on anyone, it’s time Indian cities started looking at single people as a segment which needs customised facilities, say the singles. “Many of us have purchasing power now, and it’s a market no one is capitalising on currently,” says Anasuya.