Northern Rivers Region

Household expenditure

In 2023/24, household expenditure on utilities was $2,898 in the Northern Rivers Region, lower compared to NSW.

Household Expenditure is modelled based on a set of expenditure items collected every 5 years in the ABS Household Expenditure Survey. Household Expenditure is a useful measure of the economic resources available to households in the area and where their income is spent. Areas with good public transport infrastructure and access to jobs may spend less on transport and more on discretionary spending such as entertainment. More disadvantaged areas may spend a higher proportion of their income on food and transport. An examination of the distribution of household spending per household may provide insights into the socio-economic status of the area.

Data source

National Economics (NIEIR) - Modelled series

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Household expenditure
Northern Rivers Region2023/242018/19Change
Household expenditure (totals)$ per household% of expenditureNSWNSW$$ per household% of expenditureNSWNSW$2018/19 - 2023/24
Food$9,5778.8%$13,0189.6%$9,9469.0%$12,6929.3%-369
Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco$3,4653.2%$4,7243.5%$4,7844.3%$6,1224.5%-1,319
Clothing & Footwear$4,0233.7%$5,5114.1%$3,6203.3%$4,6613.4%+403
Furnishings & equipment $4,5744.2%$6,2234.6%$4,7184.3%$6,0154.4%-144
Health$6,6206.1%$8,4946.3%$6,3615.8%$7,5895.5%+259
Transport$9,8339.0%$14,56410.7%$10,5449.6%$16,00611.7%-711
Communications$1,9001.7%$2,5171.9%$1,7611.6%$2,1841.6%+139
Recreation & Culture$10,3819.5%$13,94110.3%$11,11210.1%$13,82310.1%-731
Education $3,5153.2%$4,9473.6%$3,5623.2%$4,6993.4%-47
Hotels, Cafes & Restaurants $8,3427.6%$11,3598.4%$8,6997.9%$11,2788.2%-357
Miscellaneous Goods & Services $13,92712.8%$17,73713.1%$16,35814.9%$19,02013.9%-2,431
Housing$30,11427.6%$28,82621.2%$25,01822.7%$28,80421.0%+5,096
Utilities$2,8982.7%$3,8122.8%$3,5043.2%$4,1673.0%-606
Total Expenditure$109,170100.0%$135,674100.0%$109,986100.0%$137,058100.0%-816
Net Savings$10,1828.5%$22,13314.0%$15,17512.1%$23,60014.7%-4,993
Total Disposable Income$119,3520%$157,8070%$125,1610%$160,6580%-5,809

Source: National Institute of Economic and Industry Research (NIEIR) ©2025. Compiled and presented in economy.id by .id (informed decisions). Note: All $ values are expressed in 2022/23 base year dollar terms. NIEIR-ID data are inflation adjusted each year to allow direct comparison, and annual data releases adjust previous years’ figures to a new base year. Learn more

Please refer to specific data notes for more information
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Northern Rivers Region

economic profile