SINGLETONS in Newport are paying a hefty bill - more than £13,100 each year - because they do not have someone with whom to share living and lifestyle costs.

The single's surplus is 26 per cent higher than the national average of an extra £10,402, assuming the sole bill-payer owns is also paying for a pet.

The research, compiled by UK Debt Expert, found Newport had the sixth highest “singles tax” in the UK, trailing only London, Cambridge, Oxford, St Albans and Brighton.

It was the lone Welsh city in the top 20.

Extra expenses include an average of £517 for council tax, while campaigners push for an increase the single-person discount from 25 per cent to 50.

Singletons in Newport are also likely to spend an extra £160 on broadband and £2,525 on basic utilities.

For lifestyle expenses, it is likely to cost £918 more to own a dog, £180 for streaming services and £60 for takeaways. Maxine McCreadie, personal finance expert at UK Debt Expert, said: “Many singles across the UK are renting, either as a stopgap or because they can’t afford to get onto the property ladder on one income, and those living in Newport are no different.

“In a precarious housing market they’re now spending more of their income on rent compared to couples - who on average pay £635 a month in Newport - leaving them with little buffer to cover other essential costs.”