RDA Darling Downs and South West Region

Household expenditure

In 2023/24, household expenditure on utilities was $3,369 in the RDA Darling Downs and South West Region, higher compared to Queensland.

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
RDA Darling Downs and South West Region2023/242018/19Change
Household expenditure (totals)$ per household% of expenditureQueenslandQueensland$$ per household% of expenditureQueenslandQueensland$2018/19 - 2023/24
Food$13,35810.9%$13,13910.4%$13,36911.4%$13,11510.7%-11
Alcoholic Beverages & Tobacco$3,8953.2%$3,8393.0%$5,7654.9%$5,6624.6%-1,870
Clothing & Footwear$4,6653.8%$4,6133.6%$3,7123.2%$3,6593.0%+953
Furnishings & equipment $6,3685.2%$6,2674.9%$6,1975.3%$6,0765.0%+171
Health$10,0748.2%$9,8967.8%$9,3337.9%$8,9947.4%+742
Transport$12,82610.4%$13,76610.9%$11,2949.6%$13,22010.8%+1,533
Communications$2,6032.1%$2,5102.0%$2,2531.9%$2,1781.8%+350
Recreation & Culture$14,37311.7%$13,97611.0%$12,72210.8%$12,30310.1%+1,651
Education $3,7543.1%$3,6532.9%$3,7313.2%$3,6693.0%+23
Hotels, Cafes & Restaurants $11,2779.2%$10,7408.5%$7,9866.8%$8,8037.2%+3,291
Miscellaneous Goods & Services $18,25114.8%$17,13613.5%$18,85816.0%$17,62714.4%-606
Housing$18,20814.8%$23,99518.9%$18,78216.0%$23,37619.1%-573
Utilities$3,3692.7%$3,2742.6%$3,7043.1%$3,5522.9%-336
Total Expenditure$123,022100.0%$126,804100.0%$117,706100.0%$122,234100.0%+5,316
Net Savings$21,03714.6%$19,00413.0%$21,43715.4%$20,31914.3%-400
Total Disposable Income$144,0600%$145,8070%$139,1430%$142,5520%+4,916

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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RDA Darling Downs and South West Region

economic profile