00:00Paying for housing, food, transport. What are the EU's main household expenses?
00:09Nearly half of all EU household spending, about 46%, goes toward food, housing, energy and transport,
00:16according to a new data from Eurostat. Every single one of those categories has been hit
00:21with major price hikes recently, driving up the ongoing cost of living squeeze we're all feeling.
00:27So where are people actually adjusting their habits? Between January 2025 and January 2026,
00:34the share of the household budget actually went up in a few surprising areas. Spending on recreation,
00:41sport and culture jumped the most, rising by 1.2 percentage points, showing EU citizens are still
00:47up for treating themselves despite the financial strain. We also saw slight bumps for restaurants
00:54and hotels up 0.3 percentage points and education, which ticked up by 0.1 percentage points.
01:02On the flip side, where did people pull back? Budget shares dropped for transport, down 0.4 percentage
01:09points, as well as information and communication, which fell by 0.3 percentage points. At the end of
01:16the day, the numbers paint a clear picture of how everyday priorities are shifting as households try
01:23to balance essential bills with keeping a decent quality of life.
