Percentage of monthly household income spent on various items by income groups

The two pie charts illustrate how monthly household income is distributed across seven categories of expenditure for low and high-income groups in a European country. Overall, there is a clear contrast in spending priorities, with the lower-income group focusing on necessities, whereas the higher-income group directs more funds toward lifestyle and leisure activities.

For the low-income group, food and drink represent the largest expenditure at 29%, followed closely by fuel at 24%. In contrast, these essentials account for a much smaller share of the high-income group's budget, at 15% and 7% respectively. Spending on clothing is relatively low for both groups, at 5% for the low-income and 6% for the high-income demographic.

Regarding discretionary spending, the high-income group allocates 21% of their income to recreational and cultural activities, compared to only 11% for the low-income group. Similarly, expenditure on restaurants and hotels is three times higher for the high-income group at 12%, versus 4% for the low-income group. Transportation costs also differ, consuming 16% of the high-income budget compared to 9% for the low-income group. Finally, miscellaneous expenses account for 23% of high-income spending, slightly higher than the 18% recorded for the low-income group.