Chart of the day: There are 12 other things that cost households more than electricity

Updated

Lower power prices are top of the agenda for Scott Morrison's new Government, with the PM vowing to take "the big stick" to energy companies.

So how much do energy bills really cost Australian households?

Electricity and gas are the fastest-rising household expenses behind tobacco, together costing $49.11 a week, according to new ABS figures on weekly household expenditure and consumer price movements.

And yet, on average, households spend nearly twice as much on restaurants, takeaway and fast food ($95.05 combined), and 1.2 times as much on beer and wine ($59 combined).

In fact, neither electricity nor gas rank among the top 10 biggest household expenses. Electricity comes in at 13th, while gas and other household fuels ranks way down the list, at 38th.

Note: These figures show the average cost across all private metropolitan households, not the cost for an 'average' or 'typical' household.

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Topics: consumer-finance, electricity-energy-and-utilities, australia

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