[hadiz]

It's because if you're in a relationship, you're considered a more valuable member of the society. Because it signals that someone has selected you to be around for a prolonged amount of time. Being single is more expensive in a big city.

[swebs]

It is punishing couples, not rewarding them. The amount given to two single people is $34,000. The amount given to two people in a relationship is $24,000.

[hadiz]

Being a couple is 1.5x more expensive than being single.

[Cthulhu_]

Probably under the assumption that pooling resources and sharing a house means their expenses are NOT the same as two single people.

[jimbokun]

Right, so punish people for making better economic choices.