What do Romanians spend most of their money on?

The average monthly income per household in Romania was RON 2,495 (some EUR 565), in the third quarter of 2014, while the average income per person was RON 937 (EUR 212), according to latest figures from the National Statistics Institute INS. Meanwhile, the average monthly household expenditure was RON 2,285 (EUR 518), representing 91.5% of the income. “The expenditure was mainly destined for food consumption, non-food items, services, transfers to the private and public administration and the social security budgets, in the form of taxes, contributions and subscriptions, as well as for covering some needs related to household production (animal feeding, work payment for household production, seeds, veterinary services, and so on),” reads the INS statement. The expenditure for investments represented only 1.1% of the total expenses. Consumption expenses represent 71% of the average household expenditures. Of the money allotted for consumption, 39% go on food and almost 8% go on alcohol and tobacco. Utilities take 16% of the consumption budget, 6.1% goes on transport and 4.7% - on communications. Some 5.4% of the money is allotted for clothing and footwear, 4.2% goes on furniture, home decorations and home cleaning products. The budget for health represents 4.8%, while entertainment and culture take about 6.5%. The lowest expenditures are for hotels and restaurants (about 1% of the budget for consumption) and for education (0.3%). Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com