Most of us (including myself) always assumed that Sugar Daddies paid more money for women than the average man dating or married in the USA. Or at least I did in my pre-50s. As we age, we gain some wisdom (hopefully you are) and start to analysis things a little deeper and rethink if the way the “normies” do everything in life, really adds up or makes sense.
I come from the Marketing Industry, where I spent over 10 years working for a Leads Gen startup during the 2001 – 2010 boom & crash. This experience was HUGE and allowed me to analysis things from a non-emotional and non prejudice and non-political way.
So, as I was setting poolside in Medellรญn, Colombia working on my other biz https://RemoteBizIncome.com, I decided to set down and actually tally up all the hard costs and time costs (estimated) I was spending or needed to keep spending, in order to date or marry a high worth woman someday. I wanted to compare these traditional “built in costs” to my Sugar, Salt & Pepper Daddy RMS to see how it stacked up. When I was done, I must admit, even I was shocked at how lopsided the savings in time & money my chart showed!

๐ข Estimated Lifetime Dating Cost for the Average American Man
1. First, some assumptions:
- Starts dating at age 18
- Gets married or settles down by 35โ40 (letโs use 38 for this estimate)
- That gives about 20 years of active dating
- Dates 1โ2 times per week when single
- Averages $75โ$150 per date (dinner, drinks, entertainment, transport, etc.)
- Letโs average this out to $100 per date
- Letโs average this out to $100 per date
๐ The Math:
Conservative estimate (1 date/week):
- $100 per date ร 52 weeks ร 20 years = $104,000
Moderate estimate (1.5 dates/week):
- $100 ร 78 dates/year ร 20 years = $186,000
High estimate (2 dates/week):
- $100 ร 104 dates/year ร 20 years = $208,000
๐ก Other Costs to Consider:
- Gifts, trips, and holidays: birthdays, Valentine’s Day, etc. (~$1,000/year ร 20) = $20,000
- App subscriptions, grooming, clothes, etc. (~$500/year ร 20) = $10,000
Add that in, and your totals could look like:
| Estimate Level | Base Dating | Gifts & Extras | Total |
| Low | $104,000 | $30,000 | $134,000 |
| Moderate | $156,000 | $30,000 | $186,000 |
| High | $208,000 | $30,000 | $238,000 |
๐ฏ Ballpark Lifetime Total:
๐ $150,000โ$250,000 for the average man who dates for 15โ20 years before settling down.
But wait! Don’t most of us say, “time IS money”? Yup.
So, if we are being honest with ourselves, we have to factor in how much time dating costs us also – otherwise you only have one side of the coin and we need both in order to make a proper analysis.
Let’s calculate how much time the average man spends on dating activities (prep, texting, commuting, actual dates), then multiply that by hourly wage rates for various income levels…
[ Btw, here is a good article about how to calculate what your time is worth and also a Spreadsheet to download too here. ]
๐ Time Spent on Dating (Per Date) Estimate:
| Activity | Time Spent |
| Getting ready (grooming, etc.) | 0.5 hrs |
| Messaging / planning | 0.5 hrs |
| Commuting | 0.5 hrs |
| Actual date duration | 2.5 hrs |
| Total per date | 4 hours |
So, 4 hours per date ร 104 dates per year (2 per week) ร 20 years = 8,320 hours spent on dating over a lifetime.
๐ผ Opportunity Cost of Time (by Income Level)
| Profession/Income Level | Hourly Rate | 8,320 Hours = Time Value |
| Top-tier (Doctors, Lawyers) | $150/hr | $1,248,000 |
| High earners (Tech, Execs) | $100/hr | $832,000 |
| Median U.S. income (2024) | ~$30/hr | $249,600 |
| Lower-income jobs (~$18/hr) | $18/hr | $149,760 |
๐ต Lifetime Dating Cost + Time Cost Combined:
Letโs combine hard costs with time value:
| Earner Type | Hard Costs (avg.) | Time Value | Total Lifetime Cost |
| Doctor/Lawyer | $200,000 | $1,248,000 | $1.45M |
| Tech Exec/High Earner | $200,000 | $832,000 | $1.03M |
| Average American | $150,000 | $249,600 | $400K |
| Low Income | $130,000 | $149,760 | $280K |
๐ฅ Total Estimated Cost in Time + Money for Men Dating in USA
- A doctor or attorney could spend up to $1.5 million (including time value).
- An average American man might still “spend” about $400K over 20 years.
- Even if the actual dollars spent aren’t extreme, the time lost is massive.
The AVERAGE man in the USA might average spending almost HALF A MILLION dollars (of time + money) on Traditional dating in his lifetime!