Housing tops Bavarian household spending, statistics show

Housing accounted for the largest share of consumer spending by private households in Bavaria in 2024, according to figures reported by BR and compiled by the Bavarian State Office for Statistics. Including maintenance and energy costs, housing represented an average 35.8 percent of households’ consumer spending. More recent figures are not yet available.

Transport ranks second

Transport came second at 14.2 percent. The category includes everything from buying a car and visiting a petrol station to purchasing public transport tickets. The share may have risen somewhat since then because of current fuel prices, although the overall impact of higher fuel costs is expected to remain limited when all driving expenses are taken into account.

Food purchases ranked third, accounting for 13.3 percent of consumer spending. Leisure, culture and sport followed in fourth place at 9.5 percent.

Higher earners spend more on leisure

The Bavarian State Office for Statistics found a clear link between income and spending on leisure, culture and sport. Lower-income households spent 5.8 percent of their income in this category, while higher-income households spent 10.3 percent.

In absolute terms, that amounted to 76 euros per month for households with incomes below 1,300 euros and 536 euros for households earning more than 5,000 euros. The average was 335 euros per month, with total monthly consumer spending averaging 3,510 euros.

The statistics office is currently seeking households willing to document their spending for one month. It is particularly looking for households with incomes below 1,250 euros, households with adult children, multigenerational households and households in which the main earner is self-employed or works as a freelancer.