City of Sydney

Household expenditure

In 2023/24, household expenditure on utilities was $4,271 in the City of Sydney, higher compared to New South Wales.

Household Expenditure is modelled based on a set of expenditure items collected every 5 years in the ABS Household Expenditure Survey. Household Expenditure is a useful measure of the economic resources available to households in the area and where their income is spent. Areas with good public transport infrastructure and access to jobs may spend less on transport and more on discretionary spending such as entertainment. More disadvantaged areas may spend a higher proportion of their income on food and transport. An examination of the distribution of household spending per household may provide insights into the socio-economic status of the area.

Data source

National Economics (NIEIR) - Modelled series

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Household expenditure
City of Sydney2023/242018/19Change
Household expenditure (totals)$ per household% of expenditureNew South WalesNew South Wales$$ per household% of expenditureNew South WalesNew South Wales$2018/19 - 2023/24
Food$15,24810.0%$13,0189.6%$12,4408.9%$12,6929.3%+2,808
Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco$5,5503.6%$4,7243.5%$6,0204.3%$6,1224.5%-470
Clothing & Footwear$6,5164.3%$5,5114.1%$4,6173.3%$4,6613.4%+1,899
Furnishings & equipment $7,2964.8%$6,2234.6%$5,8884.2%$6,0154.4%+1,408
Health$9,7416.4%$8,4946.3%$7,2965.2%$7,5895.5%+2,445
Transport$19,41212.7%$14,56410.7%$17,81612.7%$16,00611.7%+1,596
Communications$2,8511.9%$2,5171.9%$2,0641.5%$2,1841.6%+787
Recreation & Culture$16,07410.5%$13,94110.3%$13,1239.4%$13,82310.1%+2,950
Education $4,5142.9%$4,9473.6%$3,6322.6%$4,6993.4%+882
Hotels, Cafes & Restaurants $14,6009.5%$11,3598.4%$12,2308.7%$11,2788.2%+2,370
Miscellaneous Goods & Services $18,98912.4%$17,73713.1%$16,43211.7%$19,02013.9%+2,557
Housing$28,12118.4%$28,82621.2%$34,85924.9%$28,80421.0%-6,738
Utilities$4,2712.8%$3,8122.8%$3,7162.7%$4,1673.0%+555
Total Expenditure$153,181100.0%$135,674100.0%$140,132100.0%$137,058100.0%+13,049
Net Savings$22,42812.8%$22,13314.0%$23,70014.5%$23,60014.7%-1,272
Total Disposable Income$175,6090%$157,8070%$163,8330%$160,6580%+11,776

Source: National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) ©2025. Compiled and presented in economy.id by .id (informed decisions). Note: All $ values are expressed in 2022/23 base year dollar terms. NIEIR-ID data are inflation adjusted each year to allow direct comparison, and annual data releases adjust previous years’ figures to a new base year. Learn more

Please refer to specific data notes for more information
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City of Sydney

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