Istat, how much do Italians spend on food, bills and housing? On average € 2437 per month (+ 4.7% on 2020): here are all the data

In 2021, the estimate of the average monthly expenditure of Italian families is 2,437 euros in current values, recovering (+ 4.7%) on 2020. This was announced by Istat, specifying that half of families spend less than 2,048 euros per month .
Considering the inflationary trend (+ 1.9% the consumer price index for the national community, NIC), growth in real terms is less extensive (+ 2.8%). The figure does not compensate for the drop in 2020: compared to 2019, in fact, the change in current values ​​still has a negative sign (-4.8%). Growth is more intense in the North (+ 7.0% in the North-West and + 4.4% in the North-East), in the South (+ 3.9%) in the Center (+ 3.1%).
The average monthly expenditure increases as the size of the family increases even if, due to the presence of economies of scale, the increase is less than proportional to the increase in the number of members. In 2021, the average monthly expenditure for a single-person family was 1,796 euros, i.e. approximately 73% of that of two-member families and approximately 62% of that of three-member families. Istat notes it. As family size increases, the weight of items less susceptible to economies of scale (such as food products and soft drinks) increases and the number of items in which it is possible to achieve them decreases: for example, for the share of expenditure destined for housing , water, electricity, gas and other fuels, ordinary and extraordinary maintenance, from 45.3% of single-component households to 29.7% of those with five or more components. With the sole exception of large families (with five or more members), whatever the family size, compared to 2020 all families have significantly increased their consumption expenditure, especially families with four (+ 6.6% compared to previous year) and with three components (+ 6.0%). Compared to 2020, the overall expenditure increases significantly for all family types, with the exception of single people aged 18-34, couples without children with a reference person aged 18-64 and families of other types with aggregate members. In particular, couples with three or more children increase their spending by 9.5%, those with two children by 7.6%. Spending on food and non-alcoholic beverages weighs mainly on families made up of a couple with three or more children (22.6% of total expenditure); the same item of expenditure, on the other hand, absorbs 15.1% among couples without children with a reference person aged 18-34. For other family types, expenses for housing, water, electricity, gas and fuel, ordinary and extraordinary maintenance weigh more for the elderly alone (49.7% of monthly expenditure) and less for couples with three or more children. (28.9%). On the other hand, couples without children with a reference person aged 18-34 spend the highest share on Transport (13.0%, 354 euros per month), followed by couples without children with a reference person aged 35-64 years. (12.0%; 311 euros per month), due to greater job mobility. As the level of education of the reference person increases, the economic condition and, consequently, the level of expenditure improves. In fact, the monthly rate goes from 1,600 euros per month for families in which the reference person has at most an elementary school certificate to 3,347 euros for those with a reference person with a degree or post-graduate degree. Compared to 2020, with the exception of families with a reference person in possession of an elementary school license or no qualification, all families increase their consumption expenditure, especially those with a qualified reference person, which recorded the greatest increase ( + 6.6%), followed by families with a reference person in possession of a degree or post-graduate degree (+ 5.6%).
One in five households pays a mortgage
In Italy, in 2021, rent spending is stable and one in five family owners pay a mortgage. Istat notes this in the report “Household consumption expenses”. 18.5% of families pay rent for the house in which they live. This percentage varies from the minimum of the Islands (13.4%) to the maximum of the North-West (21.3%). The average expenditure for families who pay rent is 416 euros per month at a national level, stable compared to 2020; this outlay is higher in the Center (481 euros) and in the North (447 euros in the North-East and 444 in the North-West) than in the South (319 euros) and the Islands (305 euros). The highest share of households for rent is recorded in the central municipalities of the metropolitan area (25.9%), where an average rent of 489 euros per month is paid. 19.1% of households living in their own homes pay a mortgage (about 3.6 million). This share is higher in the North (24.9% in the North-West and 23.7% in the North-East) and in the Center (19.7%) compared to the Islands (11.4%) and South (10.4%). ). From an economic and accounting point of view, this budget item, explains Istat, is an investment, and therefore does not fall within the calculation of consumption expenditure; nevertheless, for the families that support it, it represents a substantial outlay, equal, on average, to 543 euros per month.