'I'm the lucky one' - more than one in three young men now live with their parents

More than one in three young men in the UK were living with their parents in 2025, up from 26% in 2000, according to data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The increase is being driven by high renting costs and rising house prices, recent studies suggest.

The data shows 35% of young men aged 20-35 were living with their parents - more than young women (22%), although the rate in both groups has been increasing.

In separate research, the statistics body found the rising cost of living was the most important issue facing adults, above the NHS and the economy in general.

Nathan, 24, lives with his dad in a council house just outside of Manchester.

He works night shifts cleaning and maintaining trains and says he has managed to build up a savings pot of £50,000 by not moving out of the family home.

"If you are lucky enough to live with a mum, dad or grandparent who doesn't charge you much rent, then you can build up money even on the minimum wage," he says.

He says he cooks chillis and stews to take to work, avoids impulse purchases and tries to keep spending on a night out below £20.

"I'm not that interested in getting a flashy car, spending it all on alcohol, or getting some £500 trainers," he adds.

"My dad managed to buy a house at 21, but that was just how it was back then."

The ONS data shows that 35% of young men aged 20-35 years old were living with their parents in 2025 compared with 22% of young women.

A study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies last year found that finances were a significant sticking point for young adults leaving home, with rising housing costs fuelling the trend.

Harry Turnbull, 22, moved back in with his mum in Surrey last summer to finish his studies.

He says he missed his independence after three years living with friends as a student on the south coast but felt he had no other choice.

"Everything is so, so expensive and prices have just gone up massively," he adds.

"I think young people should have more of an option to live independently but, at the moment, that's just not possible."

The ONS said that around three in 10 households in the UK were made up of a person living alone in 2025.

Almost half of those, or around 4 million, were people aged 65 and over, a small increase on 2015.

Meanwhile, the proportion of families made up of a married couple with or without children has fallen as other family types, including unmarried couples, civil partners and single parents become more common.

Separately, more than two thirds of adults surveyed told the ONS that the cost of living had increased in March 2026 compared with a month earlier, with rising food and petrol prices the most common reasons given.

Between January and March, almost one in four adults said they would be unable to pay an unexpected but necessary expense of £850, while 3% said they had run out of food in the past two weeks and could not afford to buy more.