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In 2016, compulsory expenditure in the household budget was on average 162 euros per month per household member. Although the compulsory expenditure increased by 5 euros compared to 2015, its share in the household budget remained at the same level.

In 2016, a household member spent the most on food and non-alcoholic beverages (95 euros per month), which accounted for 23% of the total expenditure. Compared to the previous year, expenditure on food increased by 3 euros per month. Expenditure on dwelling was on average 67 euros per month, which is 2 euros more than in 2015.

Expenditure on transport was on average 50 euros, leisure time 41 euros, housekeeping 31 euros and clothing and footwear 22 euros per month per household member. Compared to 2015, of the listed expenditures, housekeeping expenses increased the most – from 26 euros to 31 euros.

Households in urban areas spent more on dwelling than households in rural areas. Per member of an urban household, dwelling expenditure was 13 euros higher than in rural areas (71 and 58 euros per month, respectively). Compared to urban households, rural households spent more on transport – in rural areas slightly more than 14% and in urban areas 11% of the household budget. While in an urban settlement, a household member spent 48 euros per month on transport, in rural settlements 54 euros was spent per month.

By county, the largest expenditures of households were in Harju, Rapla and Tartu county (459, 447 and 427 euros per month per household member, respectively) and the smallest in Ida-Viru and

Põlva county (296 and 299 euros per month per household member, respectively).

The estimates are calculated according to the data of the Household Budget Survey conducted in 2016. More than 4,400 households participated in the survey. A household is a group of persons who live at the same address and share joint financial resources and whose members consider themselves to be members of one household. In 2016, there were over 592,000 households in Estonia and the average size of a household was 2.2 persons.

Mortgage payments, real estate purchases, financial investments, expenses on major repairs or construction and other investments are not taken into account as household consumption expenditure.

For the statistical activity “Household Budget Survey”, the main representative of public interest is the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, commissioned by whom Statistics Estonia collects and analyses the data necessary for performing this statistical activity.