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Cost of living

15 Aug 2017

Q. 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

Feb 2016

Paying a lot more

Electricity and gas 59% 25% 12% 1% 1% 2%   70% 62% 34%
Insurance 31% 38% 21% 3% 1% 7%   43% 36% 24%
Medical, dental 30% 33% 31% 2% 1% 3%   33% 32% 23%
Fresh food – fruit, vegetables, meat 29% 40% 26% 2% <1% 2%   36% 36% 25%
Petrol 27% 32% 26% 6% 2% 6%   50% 56% 19%
Water 26% 39% 26% 2% 1% 7%   47% 40% 13%
Housing – mortgage or rent 23% 25% 33% 5% 3% 10%   24% 24% 14%
Packaged food 21% 38% 34% 3% 1% 4%   28% 26% 15%
Education 18% 20% 28% 3% 4% 27%   24% 21% 16%
Clothing 14% 30% 44% 8% 2% 3%   21% 17% 13%

Items which respondents said they were “paying a lot more” for were electricity and gas (59%), insurance (31%) and medical/dental (30%).

Since this question was asked in February last year, for all items, the perceptions of paying a lot more have increased substantially. However, these results are similar on most items to the surveys of 2013 and 2014.

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