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Cost of living

23 Feb 2016

Compared to two or three years ago is your household paying more or less for the following –

  Paying a lot more Paying a little more Paying about the same Paying a little less Paying a lot less Don’t know   Feb 2013

Paying a lot more

Mar 2014

Paying a lot more

Petrol 19% 28% 23% 22% 3% 4%   50% 56%
Fresh food – fruit, vegetables, meat 25% 47% 23% 3% 1% 2%   36% 36%
Packaged food 15% 45% 31% 3% 1% 4%   28% 26%
Electricity and gas 34% 40% 17% 5% 1% 3%   70% 62%
Housing – mortgage or rent 14% 27% 36% 6% 3% 14%   24% 24%
Insurance 24% 38% 28% 3% 1% 6%   43% 36%
Water 13% 32% 45% 7% 1% 3%   47% 40%
Clothing 13% 32% 45% 7% 1% 3%   21% 17%
Education 16% 21% 29% 3% 4% 28%   24% 21%
Medical, dental 23% 36% 34% 1% 1% 4%   33% 32%

Items which respondents said they were “paying a lot more” for were electricity and gas (34%), fresh food (25%) and insurance (24%).

Since this question was asked 2 years ago, for almost all items, the perceptions of paying a lot more have dropped substantially.

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