The Daily Mail reports that the British spend over twice as much on dates than their European counterparts. So much so that dating now contributes £5.89 billion (R92 billion) per year to the UK economy.
And they say you can't buy love...
The typical amount for a date is £130 (R2033) and sounds pretty steep, but if you take in consideration that this includes transport, entertainment, food, drinks, gifts, hairdressers, cosmetics, contraceptives, and clothes it suddenly becomes very realistic.
Read more: See how much the various European countries typically fork out on dates. (Who knew the Swedes would be so cheap?!)
Obviously we wanted to test the waters closer to our own shores, so we took to social media to find out how much South Africans are spending. (Disclaimer: The following results are purely anecdotal as this was not a properly conducted survey.)
Here are the top comments from Facebook and Twitter:
“I pay for myself, and including drinks, food and taxi fare, I try not to spend more than R200 – R250.”
“Standard dinner and drinks? R700 with cabs.”
“If I take someone out to dinner it usually ends up costing around R1800”
"Anything between R200 and R2000."
“How much is a Gatsby and Coke?”
“Seeing all these costs and suddenly Netflix and chill makes so much more sense now.”
Since the answers varied so much, and so many people were astounded at the prices, we decided to do a little experiment and tally up the costs of a typical budget, standard, and luxe date night out in Cape Town City Bowl:
Budget
Clothes and cosmetics for getting ready and looking your best:
• Choker from Spree – R59
• New deodorant for him from Checkers – R35
• For the perfect cat eye: Maybelline EyeStudio Color Show Crayon Khol Eyeliner - R49.95
• For soft and shiny hair: Ors Hair Food - R21.95
Drinks, food, entertainment and transport on the date:
• Pre-dinner drinks at the Kimberley hotel – R70 plus tip
• Dinner at Diva’s Ristorante in Buitenkant Street: two pizzas and two Labia tickets for R110 (on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays)
• Uber from Diva’s to Labia – R20
• Alcoholic slushies at the Labia because you probably won't want to eat popcorn after finishing a whole pizza – R70 for two
That adds up to R436
Standard
Clothes and cosmetics for getting ready and looking your best:
• Lingerie set from Distraction by Woolworths – R450
• Beard shave at Widow Maker Saloon and Barber – R80
• Blow dry at Simonida’s Hair Design and Beauty Studio – R160
• Pre-dinner cocktails at Mother’s Ruin Gin Bar – R190 for two cocktails plus tip
• Dinner at Black Sheep, Kloof Street – R550 (R370 includes starter to share, mains for two plus R180 bottle of wine)
• Uber from Kloof Street to Waterfront – R48
• Movie tickets plus a small popcorn, drink and candy combo to share from Ster Kinekor Cinema Nouveau – R213 (R150 for tickets, R63 for snacks)
That adds up to R 1691
Luxe
• LBD for her from Spree with lace detail – R699
• Leg and bikini wax at Sorbet, Gardens – R310
• Blow dry and up-style for her at Scar – R430
• Haircut and shave for him at Swordfern R340
• Pre-drinks at Outrage of Modesty – R300 for two cocktails plus tip
• Dinner at The Shortmarket Club – R1460 (R950 for two starters, two mains and a shared dessert, R330 for a bottle of wine and a 15% tip)
• Uber from Shortmarket Club to Fugard theatre R20
• Theatre tickets for two at the Fugard – R350
That adds up to R3909
Suddenly sharing a Gatsby and Coke sounds a lot more realistic! Jokes. Of course there are hundreds of places to go and things to do on dates in the Mother City, and indeed the rest of SA for all sorts of budgets. Why don't you tell us about it?
And look out for our dating in Joburg story coming soon. In the meantime, why don't you let us know how much you spend and where you go on dates in your city?