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Feed a Family of 4 for $50 a Week

According to data from the Role of National Statistics, the average UK household spends £3,312 on groceries and £1,716 on restaurants and takeaways every yr. As a issue, in 2019 UK households spent 16% of their budgets on food and non-alcoholic drinks. Another iii% of budgets went to booze, which you lot can read more than nigh in our related commodity Boilerplate Spending on Alcohol in the UK.

In this study nosotros'll evidence the breakdown of household home food budgets per week and per calendar month across nutrient categories, typical amounts spent eating out and finally how food & drink budgets change with income levels and family unit sizes. Food prices in the UK rose again last year, making this an important budget category.

Delight note that these figures reflect average amounts really spent according to the ONS survey, they are not recommendations about how much you should spend. Nutrient spending varies a LOT from one household to another based on factors like income, size and makeup of the household, the nutrient you buy and other factors. You can get a sense of this past viewing the poll results further down in the article.

  • Food prices are ascension, just by how much?
  • How much exercise households spend on nutrient?
    • Average weekly nutrient neb
    • NEW POLL: How much exercise y'all spend on nutrient each week?
    • Average monthly food beak
    • FAQs
  • Grocery spending
  • Eating place and takeaway spending
  • How is food spending unlike past income level?

Rise in Food Prices

Before we dig into the average spending on food in the following sections, we want to take a moment to address the recent rise in food prices because many households are feeling the compression and facing larger food bills each calendar week.

We've analysed recent data from the Function for National Statistics and constitute that nutrient prices rose 4.5% in the 12 months from January 2021 to January 2022. Oils and fats rose the most, upward a whopping fifteen.9%, followed by fruit (+6.9%) and milk, cheese and eggs (+5.7%). You can see more than item in the table beneath. Fresh, seasonal foods are generally up more than processed foods, which is perhaps non a surprise given supply chain issues could impact fresh food ship more.

And if y'all'd like even more particular (eastward.yard. cost rises for individual items like flour, instant coffee, tomatoes, beef roasting joints, roasting chickens, etc.) delight let us know in the comments section at the bottom and we can add those to the table as well. We're wary of adding besides much particular, but information technology can be useful to know that tomatoes and instant coffee are upwardly ten.5% in the past 12 months alone, for example.

Ascent in Food Prices (% change over 12 months) January 2021 to January 2022
Food and Non-alcoholic Beverages 4.four%
Nutrient 4.5%
Oils & fats fifteen.9%
Fruit 6.nine%
Milk, cheese and eggs 5.7%
Seasonal food 5.iii%
Non-processed food iv.seven%
Vegetables (including potatoes and tubers) 4.5%
Processed food & non-alcoholic beverages four.0%
Meat 3.9%
Bread & cereals iii.6%
Fish 2.nine%
Carbohydrate, jam, syrups, chocolate and confectionery two.ii%
Non-alcoholic Beverages 3.two%
Coffee, tea & cocoa four.9%
Alcoholic beverages and tobacco iii.3%
Mineral waters, soft drinks and juices ii.five%
Alcoholic Beverages 1.iv%
Wine ii.9%
Spirits 0.ii%
Beer 0.2%

Average Food Costs

The average annual food cost for a typical Great britain household was effectually £5,028 in 2020 (based on the average 2.iv people per household), including £276 spent on non-alcoholic drinks. The average weekly nutrient cost for the typical UK household is £97, upwardly around 3% from 2019. (Note: for the purposes of this article, "nutrient" includes non-alcoholic drinks merely not alcoholic drinks.) Food toll as a percentage of the average Britain household upkeep has remained steady for over fifteen years.

On average, we spend about 2 thirds of our nutrient upkeep on meals and snacks prepared and eaten at home, and we spend one tertiary of our nutrient costs on eating out. That is, households spend on boilerplate £3,312 a year on nutrient for home (almost the same as the price to run a machine) and £1,716 on takeaways, restaurants, cafés, snacks, etc.

Average United kingdom Food Spend, Annual and Weekly

Per Person^ Per Household (avg. two.iv people)
Weekly Food at Dwelling £26.five £64
Food Out (eastward.g., restaurants, take away, etc.) £xiii.8 £33
Total £forty.three £97
Per Yr Food at Home £one,380 £3,312
Food Out (e.g., restaurants, take away, etc.) £715 £1,716
Total £2,095 £5,028

^ Note, the 'per person' figure is averaged over men, women and children of all ages. Obviously, caloric needs vary. For example, a young, active man would have much higher caloric needs and would therefore spend more on food than, say, a typical adult female or child. See more detail on foods costs by gender and age below.

Chart showing Average Annual UK Spending on food, at home vs. outside the home, including takeaways

How Much we Spend per Year on Food at Home vs. Outside the Home

If you're wondering how much households similar yours spend on food each week or month, below nosotros intermission down weekly and monthly nutrient bills for households of different sizes, based on expected caloric needs of different ages and genders.

Average Food Costs per Week

  • Per Person: The average weekly food shop is £26.v per person in the Britain—just conspicuously caloric needs vary by age and gender. When you lot add £thirteen.8 spent on food prepared out (due east.g., restaurants and takeaways), the average weekly nutrient bill for i person is £40.3.
  • Average Adult Man: The average adult male spends around £32 on groceries, £17 on food out and £49 altogether on food each week.
  • Young, active adult man: A young, active developed man effectually 18 years of historic period whose caloric needs are 50% higher than the average person would theoretically spend around £threescore a week on food (£40 οn groceries and £21 out).
  • Average Developed Woman: The average developed female theoretically spends around £25 on groceries, £thirteen on food out and £37 birthday on nutrient each week.
  • Immature, active adult woman: A immature, active adult woman around 18 years of age whose caloric needs are 13% higher than the average person would theoretically spend around £46 a week on food (£30 οn groceries and £16 out).
  • ii Adults: The average weekly food bill for 2 adults would exist around £86 in total—£57 spent on the weekly food store and £29 spent on nutrient out.
  • Family of 3: The average weekly food bill for a family unit of 3 (two adults and 1 younger child) is around £119—£78 spent on the weekly food store and £41 spent on nutrient out.
  • Family of 4: The typical family of 4 (two adults and 2 younger children) would spend effectually £151 each week on nutrient—£99 on the weekly store and £52 on restaurant and takeaway meals.
  • Family unit of v: Larger families of five (two adults and 3 younger children) spend around £121 on the weekly store and another £63 on food prepared out, bringing the full average food bill for a family of 5 to £183.
  • Family of iii adults: Three adults (or two adults and i older teenager) would spend around £85 on groceries, £44 on food prepared out and £129 altogether on food each calendar week, conspicuously with budget varying past the age and gender of the family unit members.
Average Price of Food per Week Grocery Shopping Eating Nutrient Prepared Out Total Food Bill
Per Person £26.5 £13.8 £forty.three
Young, active developed male £39.8 £20.6 £60.4
Average adult male £32.3 £xvi.7 £49.0
Young, active adult female £30.1 £fifteen.5 £45.6
Average developed female person £24.6 £12.7 £37.3
Boilerplate kid £21.3 £11.0 £32.3
ii adults (1 human + 1 adult female) £56.8 £29.4 £86.3
two adults + 1 child £78.one £40.5 £118.6
2 adults + 2 children £99.iv £51.five £150.9
2 adults + 3 children £120.7 £62.5 £183.3
3 adults £85.3 £44.2 £129.4

Chart showing average food spend per week UK

Boilerplate Nutrient Cost per Calendar week United kingdom

Poll: How Much do You lot Spend on Food Each Week?

Participate in our poll and so nosotros can run across how much people actually spend on food and drink each calendar week. Requite the states your best gauge equally to the average per person weekly food spending in your household, based on your food upkeep (include both groceries, take aways and meals out). One time you enter your answer the results will show so you tin compare your spending to what other people have said they spend on food.

Average Food Costs per Calendar month

  • Per Person: The average monthly food budget in the UK is £175 per person, of which £115 is spent on grocery shopping and £60 on food prepared out, such as takeaways and eating house meals.
  • Average Developed Man: The average developed male would spend around £140 on groceries, £72 on food out and £212 altogether on food each month.
  • Young, active adult human: A young, active adult man around eighteen years of age whose caloric needs are 50% higher than the average person would theoretically spend around £262 a calendar month on food (£173 οn groceries and £89 out).
  • Average Adult Woman: The average adult female would spend around £107 on groceries, £55 on food out and £162 altogether on food each month.
  • Young, active adult woman: A young, active adult adult female around xviii years of historic period whose caloric needs are thirteen% higher than the average person would theoretically spend around £198 a calendar month on nutrient (£130 οn groceries and £67 out).
  • two Adults: The total food budget for 2 adults in the U.k. is twice this, or £374 per month—£246 on groceries and £128 on eating out.
  • Family unit of 3 The boilerplate food pecker for a family of 3 (with two adults and 1 younger child) in the UK is around £514 per month—£339 of which is spent grocery shopping and £175 on takeaways and restaurants, and other eating out.
  • Family of 4: The boilerplate United kingdom family of 4 (2 adults and two younger children) spends £654 in total on food each month—£431 on grocery shopping bills and another £223 on food out.
  • Family of 5: Larger families of 5 (two adults and 3 younger children) spend around £523 a month on groceries and another £271 on food prepared out, bringing the total boilerplate food bill for a family unit of 5 to effectually £794.
  • Family of three adults: Three adults (or 2 adults and an older teenage child) would spend around £369 on groceries, £191 on food prepared out and £561 altogether on nutrient each month, clearly with budget varying by the historic period and gender of the family unit members.

Please keep in mind these are theoretical figures base on expected caloric intake, using average per person figures equally a starting betoken. We provide them to requite a rough idea of what people typically spend. Your upkeep might (need to) be unlike.

Average Price of Food per Calendar month Grocery Shopping Eating Food Prepared Out Total Nutrient Bill
Per Person £115 £60 £175
Immature, active adult male £173 £89 £262
Average adult male £140 £72 £212
Young, agile adult female £130 £67 £198
Boilerplate adult female £107 £55 £162
Average kid £92 £48 £140
two adults (one man + 1 adult female) £246 £128 £374
2 adults + i child £339 £175 £514
2 adults + 2 children £431 £223 £654
2 adults + three children £523 £271 £794
three adults £369 £191 £561

Chart showing average food spend per month UK

Average Nutrient Cost per Calendar month UK

FAQs

When deciding how much y'all should spend on food, it can help to know that a person's average spend on food in the U.k. is £40.thirty per week or £175 per month, including groceries, takeaways and restaurants. Nevertheless food needs vary past historic period and gender and so will food budgets—for example, an agile swain can burn down 50% more calories than the average person and would therefore spend more on food. Food consumes effectually nineteen% of a typical household'due south budget (more than nosotros spend on housing!). Almost people spend 2/three of this nutrient budget on groceries and the other i/iii on eating food prepared out.

The boilerplate spend on food per person is £40.30 per calendar week (£175 per month), including groceries and eating out—across all ages and genders. The average weekly food store for 1 is £26.5 in the Uk, plus we spend another £13.8 on eating out or ordering takeaways each week. Simply men consume more food and women less, and so the average adult male spends around £49 a week (£212 a calendar month) while women spend around £37 a week (£162 a calendar month).

The average monthly food budget for 2 in the UK is £374; £246 of this is spent on groceries and £128 is spent on takeaways and eating place meals. The boilerplate weekly shop for 2 adults in the UK costs £57.

The boilerplate monthly nutrient budget for a family of 3 with two adults and one younger child under the age of 15 is £514; £339 of this is spent on groceries and £175 is spent on takeaways and restaurant meals. The average weekly shop for a family of 3 in the UK costs £78.

The average monthly food bill for a family unit of 4 in the Britain is £654; £431 of this is spent on groceries and £223 is spent on nutrient prepared out of the firm. The average weekly grocery bill for a family of 4 in the UK is £99.

Average Britain Household Budget for Food at Home is £3,312

We love our processed meat, the category that takes the biggest bite out of our household food upkeep. We spend a whopping 12% of our habitation food budget, or £385 a year, on sausages, bacon, ham and other processed meats. We spend a touch on more on fresh fruit (£208/yr, including £78 on berries alone) than we do on cakes, buns and biscuits (£213/year). Nosotros too spend more on fresh vegetables (£234/twelvemonth) than we do on cakes and biscuits!

Not-alcoholic drinks is another big part of our nutrient upkeep, consuming £276 a year, mostly on soft drinks. The categories that brand upwardly the largest proportions of the typical Uk food budget at home would be familiar to most households. Keep in mind these are averages, so spending £0.30 a week on jam would be similar buying one £0.90 jar of jam every three weeks, for example.

Household Budget: Nutrient at Home Weekly Average Annual Average
Sausages, etc. £half dozen.60 £343
Bread, rice and cereals £5.80 £302
Non-alcoholic drinks £5.xxx £276
Fresh vegetables £4.l £234
Fresh Fruit £iv.00 £208
Buns, cakes, biscuits, etc. £4.10 £213
Fish £3.20 £166
Other sauces, herbs, etc. £two.lxxx £146
Potatoes and other tubers £2.fifty £130
Poultry £2.40 £125
Yoghurt, etc £two.30 £120
Milk £2.10 £109
Cheese £2.20 £114
Beef £1.ninety £99
Chocolate £2.thirty £120
Stale or frozen vegetables £2.ten £109
Frozen, preserved & stale fruits and nuts £i.60 £83
Butter, margarine, cooking oils, etc. £1.50 £78
Bacon and ham £0.eighty £42
Pastry (savoury) £ane.00 £52
Confectionery products £0.80 £42
Eggs £0.80 £42
Pork £0.50 £26
Lamb £0.lxx £36
Edible ices and ice cream £0.70 £36
Pasta £0.l £26
Sugar £0.40 £21
Jams £0.xxx £16
Total Spend: Household Food at Home £63.70 £3,312

Average UK Household Upkeep for Nutrient Outside the Dwelling house is £1,716

Dining out at restaurants and cafés eats upwards the largest piece of our out-of-business firm food upkeep, costing the average household £1,050 a twelvemonth. Takeaways, snacks and other food out costs the boilerplate household £666 per year.

Household Budget: Nutrient Spend Outside the Dwelling house Weekly Boilerplate Annual Boilerplate
Restaurant and café meals £20.2 £1,050
Accept away meals eaten at home £5.6 £291
Other accept-away and snack nutrient £five.3 £276
Canteens & Catering £1.9 £99
Full Spend: Household Food Outside the Dwelling house £33.0 £1,716

How Does Nutrient & Potable Spending Vary beyond Income Groups?

The highest earning households with disposable (after-revenue enhancement) incomes over £72,000 per year spend 3 times as much per year on nutrient and alcoholic drinks compared to the lowest earning families with incomes nether £11,650.

Relative to boilerplate, lower earning households spend a significant amount more of their food upkeep on processed meats and milk. The highest earning households spend a meaning amount less than average on processed meats and more than on fresh vegetables. Not surprisingly, the lowest income groups spend the highest proportion of their total household budget on food and drinks: 21%. We all need to swallow and this upkeep area can only be cutting and so much. Every bit a result, a higher percent of dispensable income must become towards the food budget for the lowest earners.

Chart showing how weekly food budgets increase with rising incomes, and the percentages of food spending out of total budget

Weekly Food Budgets Increasing with Rising Incomes

Wealthier families spend a greater proportion of their full nutrient and drink upkeep—44%—on food and potable abroad from home, which includes eatery meals and takeaways. Those on smaller budgets tend to save coin by eating at home more than, spending 75% of their food and drink budgets for consumption at abode and only 25% of their nutrient and drink budgets out at restaurants and on take aways.

Chart showing what percent of food and drink budgets are spent out of the home, by disposable income decile.

% of Food and Drink Budgets Spent Dining Out

In terms of actual spending, y'all can encounter how weekly food and potable budgets increment as dispensable incomes ascension. The wealthier dine out more than, the budget-constricted consume at home more.

Chart showing average weekly UK food spending across disposable income decile groups, by food at home, restaurants excluding alcohol, and restaurants including alcohol

Average Weekly Food & Potable Spending (at home and out) by Disposable Income Grouping

Shortcomings

To calculate food costs per person and for unlike household sizes, we had to take into account the dissimilar caloric needs of people of unlike ages and genders. For example, a young, active male would burn effectually 3,200 worth of food a twenty-four hours while a typical 5-yr-sometime kid would burn just one,400 a day. And the more nutrient you eat, the more than it costs yous.

To judge these figures, we first calculated the weighted boilerplate caloric needs of the Britain population, and divided the average spending for a household by the boilerplate number of people in a household (2.4) to get a per (boilerplate) person food budget. Then we tweaked this boilerplate 'per person' number to reverberate the caloric needs of dissimilar ages and genders. We multiplied these per-person figures past the relevant caloric needs and added up the people in a household to notice the budget for different families. See below for an example of our calculations. Calorie need figures were sourced here.

Average caloric needs Difference from average Weekly food store Weekly cost of nutrient prepared out Average food costs per week
Per Person ii,128 0% £26.7 £thirteen.eight £twoscore.42
Adult Male person (age 16+) 2,586 22% £32.3 £sixteen.7 £48.96
Young, active male 3,200 50% £39.eight £twenty.6 £60.44
Adult Female person (Age xvi+) 1,971 -seven% £24.6 £12.7 £37.33
Immature, active female 2,400 13% £30.i £15.5 £45.58
Child (ages 2 - 15) 1,707 -xx% £21.iii £11.0 £32.33

While this attempts to take into account dissimilar nutrient needs for family unit members of different ages and genders, please go on in heed that these are estimates. And the calculations don't take into business relationship savings that larger families can achieve past buying in bulk, or that some families are a lot more budget conscious than others. If you have people in your family unit who swallow less (due east.g., a actually small child) or are an efficient shopper who is careful with prices and takes reward of sales or buying in majority (e.g., to feed a large family) then proceed this in heed when comparing your own spending to the figures presented here.

Cheap Eats: How to Save on Food

Whatever your food budget, you can probably borrow some tips from thrifty households to reduce costs downward even further. Try to work these methods into your family'south food plan.

i. Cook at dwelling

It does take more fourth dimension, but cooking and eating at home tin salvage loads of coin over the long run. Consider that the actual price of food for a restaurant meal is less than a 3rd of what y'all pay for it. The residuum of the money yous spend at a restaurant goes to other costs like labor and overhead. If yous melt at abode, yous only pay the food cost, and pocket the rest. Team up with your partner, child or a friend to create great nutrient and memories.

ii. Stock up on staples

Purchase big. Packages, that is. Stores usually charge less per unit of measurement (kg, litre, etc.) when you buy more at a fourth dimension. This means that a ii kg bag of rice will toll less per kilo than a 0.five kg bag of rice. If yous alive nigh a warehouse store like Costco, consider condign a fellow member. There you'll have a ameliorate hazard of finding the largest food packages (e.g., American sizes).

3. Swap pricey proteins or goods for cheaper ones

Ground beef costs less per pound than steaks. Chicken thighs toll less than chicken breasts (and are juicier!). Include lots of dried beans into your meals to add protein and fill your family. Be on the look out for discounted food that the grocery store needs to sell that day due to an impending expiration date—just exist certain to cook it ASAP!

Another way to reduce your nutrient budget is past taking a await at your nonalcoholic beverages spend. The average UK family spends a whopping 8% of their at-abode food upkeep on coffee, tea, juices, mineral/sparkling water and sodas. While we'd never propose eliminating your daily cuppa (coffee and tea aren't the budget problem anyway), there is really no room for soda, juice and fancy h2o in a tight budget. Nosotros have two words for you lot: tap water.

If you don't similar the gustation of the life-saving liquid that flows plentifully from your tap, endeavour squeezing in some lemon or boiling information technology into tea. Nosotros endeavour to continue a pitcher of homemade iced herbal tea in the fridge—tastes great, cheap and has no sugar or sugar substitutes. Buying cappuccino at chains similar Starbucks or Costa everyday, while convenient, can easily full £i,000 a twelvemonth, based on our calculations. Instant coffee with a nuance of cinnamon or chocolate on top is an easy and impressive alternative.

Nutrient and drink may be necessary for life, just a few small-scale tweaks can help you spend less on them.

Food Budgeting

In addition to the steps in a higher place, if y'all're struggling with the budget information technology can be handy to accept a deep dive into your current household spending. People are oftentimes surprised when they run the numbers over a calendar month and realise how much they spend on expensive nutrient items like takeaways or java-store java. For case, spending £40 on a weekly pizza takeaway, including soda and appetizers, adds up to over £ii,000 a year! Popping a few frozen grocery store pizzas in the oven will cost less than half the price.

To understand your food spending you lot can sit down with pen and paper and go through your bank statements and credit card bills once a month. Alternatively, at that place are a number of handy tech resource at our disposal these days.

For case, Coin Dashboard is a personal finance app where you can easily view all your accounts and rail your spending by category—they have separate pre-set categories including 'groceries' and 'food & potable', which tracks coin spent eating out. Money Dashboard is rated four.9 out of 5 stars by existing customers and is gratis to employ. Budgeting apps similar this (there are a number of them in the market) can be a smashing resource if you're watching your spending.

Comparing Food Spend to Other Areas of the Upkeep

While food is clearly a big upkeep item, there are a few categories that take an even larger bite of the average annual household upkeep. The average United kingdom household also spends over £4,750 on transportation costs (including related insurance) and a whopping £x,600 on all things housing. Our largest utility cost is gas and electricity. The average UK household spent another £1,360 per year on gas and electricity in 2019. The cost to lite, heat and run our homes accounts for close to 5% of our household budgets each year.

If your household buys in bulk to save coin and keeps a large store of food in the freezer, specially expensive items like meat, you might want to check your abode insurance policy to see if freezer contents are covered. Policies that include freezer food will reimburse you lot upward to a sure amount (e.g., £1,000) if, for instance, you lose the contents of your freezer due to an electrical failure or your freezer breaking down.

Notation: Updated in March 2021 to reflect the nigh recent 2020 Living Costs and Food Survey from the ONS.

Sources:

Office of National Statistics Household size from the Part of National Statistics

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Source: https://www.nimblefins.co.uk/average-uk-household-cost-food

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