Challenges of Splitting Bills Equally Among Friends
One friend orders two cocktails. Another "just wants to try" the £16 truffle arancini starter. Meanwhile, you stick strictly to tap water. When the waiter places the card reader on the table at the end of the night, it can become a social dilemma.
Even if you can handle the mental arithmetic, it is difficult to challenge the cheerful friend who insists:
"let's just divide it equally!"
Ella, a 23-year-old communications assistant from Leeds, explains:
"When we eat out, we always just split the bill."
Ella never suggests that friends pay only for what they ordered because
"it just feels awkward."Although she earns over £30,000, some of her friends have higher incomes, and she finds it difficult to refuse when they want to visit places she cannot comfortably afford. To avoid feeling short-changed, she matches her order to theirs.
The situation becomes more challenging with expensive items like holidays. Instead of expressing her feelings, Ella often scrambles to find extra money.
"I'm probably on the phone to my mother in secret asking to borrow that extra bit of cash,"she admits.
Her hesitation to speak openly about money reflects a broader trend. Research from the Money and Pensions Service (MaPS) in 2025 revealed that only 40% of adults feel comfortable discussing finances with friends. Women are significantly less likely to feel comfortable (39%) compared to men (50%).
Ella notes that money is rarely discussed within her friend group. They have booked a four-night beach holiday costing approximately £680 each for flights and accommodation, using a bill-splitting app to track expenses before settling balances at the end.
"We never really consider if something is affordable or not,"she says.
"We all pay the same, no matter your salary."
'Set Expectations Early'
Walking into a restaurant and announcing you will not cover your friends' drinks can feel like being a buzzkill if others plan to indulge. However, experts recommend addressing the issue openly from the outset.
Laura Pomfret, chief executive of the women's finance community Financielle, explains that people often fear that speaking up will spoil the mood. However, friends usually respond positively to honesty about financial limits.
"If you know you have a limit on what you can afford, say it at the beginning rather than sitting through the meal hoping someone else suggests paying separately,"she advises.
Chloe, 31, a tech startup founder earning about £80,000, shares that she and her friends are very open about salaries and affordability, partly because they have experienced difficult times together.
"We talk about money all the time - pay rises, investments, whether we can afford something."
She adds:
"We'll say, 'I can't afford that this month - can we do it next month instead?' It's about breaking down that wall of shame."Now with a higher income, Chloe is willing to cover expenses for others occasionally.
"I live in London and when friends visit who are between jobs, they might pay for the train ticket and then I'll make sure I've budgeted to cover dinner because I wanted us to go out,"she says.
Remembering the Tip
Even groups that are upfront about finances encounter challenges. Mark Fullilove, a 37-year-old marketing manager from Birmingham, says he and his friends always pay for their individual orders in restaurants, but sometimes he ends up covering shortfalls due to forgotten items or unaccounted service charges.
"I've had to cover the difference as the last payer,"he notes.
When on holiday, they split costs evenly, but those with less disposable income may pay their share when possible rather than providing a deposit immediately.
Research suggests that paying for what you consume is generally best for everyone's budget. Splitting bills equally tends to encourage ordering more expensive items like caviar and lobster, increasing the total bill for all.
Fortunately, many apps now assist in calculating individual shares, including tips, eliminating the need for complex math after a few drinks.
For those who find even this awkward, some social media users propose an alternative: everyone places their credit cards in the center of the table, and the waiter randomly selects one card to pay for the entire meal.
