City of love? Prague ranked second-best city in Europe for young singles

If you’re single and living in a big city, several factors can sweeten your experience: the cost of a date, the number of attractions, and the price of rent all come into play. According to a new study, Prague is the second-best European city for a young, single person.

A study by price aggregator Compare The Market used seven different variables to determine which major European city was best for a young person to live, work, and date in. These included the average price of a beer, the unemployment rate, and the cost of a date.

Prague had the fifth-cheapest average cost of a date (which consists of two cinema tickets, one bottle of wine, a 5-kilometer taxi journey, and a meal for two), at USD 65 (CZK 1,440).

Prague scored highly for attractions. The Czech capital has the second-highest number of attractions of all European cities, with 4,103 things to do. 

Despite Prague's recently surging rental prices, the city still compares favorably with other European cities. Average rent for a room in the capital came to USD 550 (CZK 12,000), which was among the cheapest of the monitored capitals. Sofia and Riga had the most affordable rental prices, at USD 310 (CZK 6,870) and USD 360 (CZK 7,970) respectively.

The rate of unemployment was another factor used to determine a city’s livability for young people. At 2.8 percent, Prague came top in this category, boding well for potential jobseekers in the country. Out of all cities in the top 10, Istanbul had the highest unemployment rate, at 13.7 percent. 

Internet speed was added for those who work remotely abroad – out of the top-ranked cities, this was Prague’s worst-performing category. With an average internet speed of 21 megabits per second (Mbps), it was outscored by the likes of Bratislava, Warsaw, and Lisbon.

Czechia is a good place to find a relationship. A separate study reported by Seznam Zprávy found that more than three-quarters of Czechs believe it is better to be in a relationship than single. Out of the 25-34 year-old category, the majority of people reported meeting via online sources (such as dating apps or websites). The same held true for the 35-44 age group, whereas the majority of 18-24 year-olds met through mutual friends. 

Analytics company Similarweb found that the most popular dating apps in the Czech Republic are Badoo and Tinder. Seznamka.cz is the most popular dating website in Czechia. A study from 2021 also found that online dating is popular in the country: three-quarters of people said that they used online dating apps.

With relatively affordable prices, strong job opportunities, and thousands of things to do, Prague’s strong appeal for young singles may well attract more people to the city in 2023 and beyond.