The real reason millennials are staying single

Money appears to be the reason many millennials are staying single. Photo / Getty Images

New research has found US millennials are reluctantly staying single because they can't afford to date.

According to the data, a third of generation Y are being priced out of the dating market as it doesn't fit into their budgets.

Five thousand young American adults were quizzed for the "Singles In America" study, and 21 per cent said they believe they need to bolster their income before seeking romance.

The study found the majority (20.4 per cent) of millennials have a household income of just $23,000 to $46,000.

Another study conducted by Match.com found that the average single American spends about $92 on a date, and men who fork out most of the costs.

A quarter of the participants also said they would be interested in having sex with a human-like robot, but half said they feel it would count as cheating if they were already in a relationship.

The study also revealed millennials' top dating deal breakers: poor hygiene, unclean appearance, laziness, lack of humour and emotional neediness.