Almost half of the households' expenses in the EU go on food, housing, and transport

Food and non-alcoholic beverages, housing with energy and water, and transport accounted for 46% of household consumption expenditures in January 2026. Compared to the previous year, Europeans allocated a larger share to recreation, sports and culture, restaurants and accommodation, and education, while the share of transport and communications decreased.

Almost half of the household consumption expenditures in the European Union are concentrated in three basic needs: food and non-alcoholic beverages, housing together with water and energy, and transport. The three categories together accounted for 46% of the total in January 2026, according to Eurostat. The structure of budgets has changed compared to the beginning of the previous year, with a more noticeable increase in the share of expenditures for recreation, sports and culture, and a reduction in the share of transport.

In short

Food and non-alcoholic beverages, housing, water and energy, and transport accounted for 46% of household consumption expenditures in the EU in January 2026.

The largest increase compared to January 2025 was for recreation, sports and culture, whose share in the budget rose by 1.2 percentage points.

Restaurants and accommodation services increased by 0.3 percentage points, and education by 0.1 points.

The share of transport in household expenditures decreased by 0.4 percentage points, while that for information and communications decreased by 0.3 points.

Eurostat shows that all three major categories dominating household budgets recorded significant price increases in at least one of the last years.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages represent the largest individual category in the structure presented by Eurostat for January 2026, closely followed by housing, water and energy, and transport. Together, these three components consume 46 euros out of every 100 euros included in the consumption expenditures of European households. The rest of the budget is distributed among restaurants and accommodation, recreation and culture, personal services and social protection, health, housing maintenance, clothing, communications, financial services, and education.

The high share of these three basic categories is also important for how inflation affects household budgets. Eurostat shows that food, housing and energy, and transport each recorded substantial price increases in at least one of the last years. A strong increase in a category that occupies a large part of the budget produces a more visible effect on the total expenditures of a household than a comparable increase in a category with a smaller share.

The structure of the budget changed between January 2025 and January 2026, but the changes did not all go in the same direction. The largest increase was recorded in recreation, sports and culture, whose share rose by 1.2 percentage points in just one year. Restaurants and accommodation services gained 0.3 points, and education 0.1 percentage points.

Transport had the largest reduction in share in the budget, with 0.4 percentage points, even though it remains one of the three major categories of consumption. Expenditures for information and communications decreased in share by 0.3 percentage points. These variations describe the relative distribution of the budget and do not automatically mean that households spent less money in absolute value for each of the categories whose share decreased.

The evolution of transport comes after strong price fluctuations in recent years. In 2022, transport was among the categories that had the largest price increases in the EU, after which the pace of price increases fell below the general average in the following years. In contrast, other categories that had more moderate increases in 2022 continued to record above-average price increases in the subsequent period.

The overall inflation in the EU was 2.5% in 2025, well below the level of 9.2% recorded in 2022. However, price increases were not evenly distributed: insurance and financial services had the highest increase among the 13 broad categories tracked by Eurostat in 2025, at 5.3%, while prices for information and communications decreased by 1.7%. The differences between categories gradually influence the share they occupy in the total budget of households.

Housing costs also have one of the largest variations between member states. Data on comparative price levels for 2024 show that housing, water and energy were at least 70% above the EU average in Ireland, Luxembourg, and Denmark, while in Bulgaria the level was 61% below average. The differences for food were smaller, ranging from 24% above the EU average in Luxembourg to 22% below average in Romania.

These price differences mean that the same category can have a different weight in the budget of a household depending on the country, income, and local price level. Data published on September 2 describe the aggregate structure for the entire Union and do not assume that every European household spends exactly 46% on the three main categories. However, they provide a picture of the goods and services that absorb the largest part of the population's consumption at the European level.

Eurostat uses the structure of household expenditures to calculate the harmonized index of consumer prices, the indicator used to compare inflation between member states. Categories in which the population spends more receive a more significant weight in the calculation, as their price variations have a greater impact on the overall cost of consumption.

Beyond the distribution of the budget, Eurostat data show that the value of actual individual consumption per capita in the EU increased from 26,360 euros in 2024 to 27,480 euros in 2025. This indicator includes household consumption and is used for comparisons regarding material well-being, including after adjusting for price differences between countries.

Differences remain considerable. In 2025, actual individual consumption per capita adjusted for purchasing power was at 163.7% of the EU average in Luxembourg, while Hungary was at 71.6%, Bulgaria at 72.3%, and Latvia at 74.5%. The indicator shows differences in the total level of disposable consumption of the population and complements information on how households distribute expenditures among the main categories.

Data on the structure of household budgets come from the weights used for the harmonized index of consumer prices. They reflect the relative importance of different categories of goods and services in household consumption and allow for observing changes from one year to the next.

Eurostat published the analysis on September 2, 2026, based on the Key figures on Europe 2026 edition. The publication brings together indicators regarding population, living conditions, economy, prices, consumption, business, energy, and the environment.

https://2eu.brussels/ro/news/aproape-jumatate-din-cheltuielile-gospodariilor-din-ue-merg-pe-alimente-locuinta-si-transport