Survey of Household Spending

Organization

Statistics Canada

Published

2003

Summary

New technology and shifting priorities are changing the way Canadian households spend their money, according to estimates from the 2002 Survey of Household Spending.

The proportion of the average household budget allocated to food and shelter remained largely unchanged from 2001. However, spending on transportation and communications increased, while the portion claimed by personal taxes fell for the second consecutive year.

Personal taxes accounted for an estimated 20% of the average household budget, down from 21% in 2001. Transportation claimed 14%, up slightly from 13%, while food represented 11% and shelter 19%, about the same as in 2001.

On average, households spent $60,090 in 2002, a 2.2% increase from 2001 after adjusting for inflation. This included an estimated $6,680 on food, $11,200 on shelter, $8,430 on transportation and $12,030 on personal taxes.

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Source: Consumer Policy Research Database