The CSO's Household Budget Survey shows where the average household's money goes, how renters, families and pensioners differ, and what changed since 2015-2016.
The average Irish household spent €1,007.47 a week in 2022-2023, or about €144 a day. The biggest slice was not rent, mortgage or food. It was a mixed group of costs such as health, childcare, education, pensions and holidays, which took a third of the weekly budget.
Where these numbers come from
The figures come from the Household Budget Survey, run by the CSO (Central Statistics Office). It is the most detailed official picture of what households buy. The latest edition was published on 1 August 2024.
The CSO collected the data from October 2022 to October 2023. In all, 1,737 households took part. Each member aged 16 and over kept a spending notebook for 14 days.
The survey also helps the CSO update the "basket" of goods it uses to measure the cost of living. A new round of the survey is now asking selected households to take part.
Housing and food take the biggest named slices
Housing cost the average household €184.56 a week, or 18.3% of spending. In the survey, housing means rent, mortgage payments, home insurance, Local Property Tax, refuse charges, repairs and home improvements.
Food came next at €160.93 a week (16.0%). Transport, which covers buying and running cars as well as buses and trains, was €142.39 (14.1%). Heating and electricity, which the CSO calls "fuel and light", cost €63.11.
The largest group, at €333.02, mixes many costs. The CSO says it includes medical costs, childcare, education and pensions. Holidays are counted here too.
What changed since the last survey
The previous survey covered 2015-2016. Since then, weekly spending rose by 20.3%. The CSO advises some caution when comparing the two, because the way a household is defined changed in 2022-2023.
| Category | 2015-2016 | 2022-2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | €123.28 | €160.93 | +30.5% |
| Alcohol and tobacco | €28.00 | €28.38 | +1.4% |
| Clothing and footwear | €33.65 | €39.54 | +17.5% |
| Fuel and light | €38.56 | €63.11 | +63.7% |
| Housing | €164.36 | €184.56 | +12.3% |
| Non-durable goods | €16.51 | €20.56 | +24.5% |
| Durable goods | €27.50 | €34.98 | +27.2% |
| Transport | €124.39 | €142.39 | +14.5% |
| Other goods and services | €281.21 | €333.02 | +18.4% |
| Total | €837.47 | €1,007.47 | +20.3% |
Fuel and light rose fastest, by almost two thirds. Its share of the budget went from 4.6% to 6.3%. Spending on alcohol and tobacco barely moved, up just 1.4% in seven years.
Food is taking a bigger share again. It fell from 27.7% of spending in 1980 to 14.7% in 2015-2016, then rose to 16.0%. Housing went the other way, from 19.6% of spending to 18.3%.
Renters spend the largest share on housing
Households with a mortgage spent more than renters or outright owners: €1,448.08 a week, including €320.85 on housing. Renting households spent €720.74 a week, of which €174.06 went on housing.
share of renting households' spending that went on housing, against 10.0% for people who own their home outright
Source: cso.ieOutright owners spent €91.84 a week on housing. That covers things like insurance, repairs and property tax, but no rent or mortgage.
Housing is the biggest cost in every household's budget.
For households that own their home outright, housing was just 10.0% of spending. Across all homes, the mixed group of health, childcare, education, pensions and other services was bigger, at 33.1%.
Region and town or country make a difference
The CSO splits Ireland into three large statistical regions. Households in the Eastern and Midland region spent €1,088.36 a week. The Southern region spent €938.08 and the Northern and Western region €919.26.
Food spending was highest in the Eastern and Midland region, at €171.88 a week. Transport spending was highest in the Northern and Western region, at €155.05.
Urban households spent 6.5% more than rural ones. Rural homes spent less on housing but more on getting around.
- Motor fuel: €56.29 a week in rural areas, €30.55 in urban areas
- Car insurance, motor tax and fines: €35.63 rural, €25.17 urban
- Bus, Luas, rail and taxis: €6.18 urban, €2.29 rural
- Housing: €208.44 urban, €142.71 rural
- Holidays: €58.71 urban, €41.60 rural
Lower-income homes spend half on the basics
In the poorest fifth of households, food, fuel and light and housing took 51.4% of all spending. In the richest fifth, those same basics took 35.5%. Better-off homes spend much more on transport, clothing and other services.
The richest fifth spent €243.00 a week on transport, against €54.49 for the poorest fifth. Yet the poorest fifth still spent €78.91 a week on food and €48.57 on fuel and light.
Families, single people and pensioners
A one-adult household spent €495.18 a week, and 23.0% of that went on housing. Households with children spent €1,252.10, including €245.32 on housing and €203.46 on food.
Households of three or more adults, such as adult children living at home, spent €1,320.56 a week. That is the highest of any household type.
Families with children spent €16.23 a week on takeaways, 9.7% of their food bill. Retired households spent €57.52 a week on medical costs, such as doctors, dentists, medicines and health insurance.
What this means for you
- Compare your own weekly costs with the averages here to see where your budget differs.
- If you rent, a quarter of spending going on housing is close to the national average for renters.
- These are 2022-2023 prices. Prices rose 4.1% in the year to September 2026, so today's costs are higher.
- If the CSO asks your household to take part in the new survey, your answers shape how inflation is measured.
Why the survey matters now
The survey tells the CSO which items matter most in household budgets. That shapes how the monthly Consumer Price Index measures inflation. For how prices have moved this year, see our guide to what households are paying more for since March.
The next full results will come from the new round of the survey. The CSO has not yet given a publication date.
CSO is asking selected households to take part in the next Household Budget Survey
CSO Consumer Price Index shows how prices for these categories are changing
