EU households spend a larger share of their budget on food than US households — The Local Sweden

Households in the European Union allocated 16% of their spending to food in 2025, while in the United States this category accounted for 13% in 2024. At the same time, housing was the largest spending category for US households, accounting for 33% of their budgets, according to data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Spending structure in the EU

According to Eurostat, food, housing, water and energy, as well as transport, together accounted for 46% of EU household budgets in 2025. Food spending accounted for 16%, housing, water and energy for 15%, and another 15% went to transport. This was reported by The Local Sweden.

Separately, 10% of household spending in EU countries went on restaurant and hotel services. Another 8% was spent on recreation, sport and culture.

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Housing and transport in the US

In the United States, housing and transport expenses accounted for half of household budgets in 2024: 33% and 17%, respectively. Americans spent 8% of their budgets on entertainment.

Doris Speer, president of the Association of Americans Resident Overseas, who has lived in France for more than 22 years, linked the larger share of housing expenses in the United States to fewer restrictions on rent increases in many American cities compared with European ones. She also noted that public transport operates in many European cities, allowing people to get around without a car, although fuel costs are higher there.

According to Speer, Europe places greater emphasis on social activity and offers more time for leisure and vacations. She noted that in the United States, an employee starting a new job may have only two weeks of vacation per year.