The cost of basics devours the family budget in twenty twenty-five

Spanish households spent an average of 35,101 euros in 2025, 3.1% more than the previous year. Housing, food, and transportation account for over 60% of the budget, with housing and utilities rising 5.8% to take up a third of total spending. For families, especially the most vulnerable, the burden of essential costs remains the main economic drag.

realistic photograph of an open family budget on a wooden table, coins and bills being absorbed by three large holes visually labeled as housing, food, and transportation, while a bar chart on a tablet shows a third of the budget in red, tense hands holding a utility receipt, dramatic studio lighting, wrinkled paper texture, technical documentary style, high definition, sharp focus on essential costs devouring money, blurred background with stacked bills

Technology does not curb the rise in basic spending 📉

While the cost of housing and food skyrockets, consumer technology barely eases the pressure. Households allocate a smaller portion to electronics and software, even though tools like home automation for energy efficiency or expense tracking apps promise savings. The reality is that the 5.8% increase in utilities cancels out any digital gains, and developments in AI for home management have yet to reach the average citizen's pocket.

The citizen's diet: rice, housing, and air 🍚

That housing takes up a third of the salary is nothing new, but that food rises at the same rate as rent turns the refrigerator into a luxury item. We no longer know whether to move into a shoebox to afford groceries or stop eating to pay for the apartment. At least transportation is still there to go to work and pay for everything. Of course, if the car breaks down, we can say goodbye to vacations.