Here’s what the average South African household budget looks like

Data from Statistics South Africa’s Living Conditions Survey (LCS) provides a breakdown on how the average South African household spends its money over the course of a year.

The LCS found that in 2015, the average South African household consisted of 3 to 4 persons, with an average annual income and consumption expenditure of R138,168 and R103,293, respectively.

Male-headed households have a higher average annual income than their female counterparts (R165 853 and R98 911, respectively) and therefore, have greater spending power than female-headed households.

Male-headed households spend more across all consumption expenditure categories, StatsSA said.

When looking at the total consumption expenditure of South African households, 32,55% of money spent went to housing and utilities. This was the biggest expenditure category, followed by transport at 16,29%, miscellaneous goods and services at 14,68%, and food, beverages and tobacco at 13,75%.

Another interesting finding was that, on average, households spent more on recreation and culture (3,81%) than they did on education (2,45%).

The miscellaneous goods and services category includes personal effects, personal care items, social protection, insurance (including that related to the dwelling, health and transport), financial services and other services that have not been classified elsewhere.

The health expenditure category, therefore, only covers out-of-pocket health expenses, and not medical aid or insurance, which is why it may seem very low at a national average of R935 per annum.

Read: Whites earn 5 times more than blacks in South Africa: Stats SA