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The coronavirus pandemic profoundly changed the way people in Spain use their money and the health crisis left its mark on 2021, when household spending increased by 2,250 euros compared to the previous year.

 

The average household spent 29,243 euros on consumer products, of which almost a third (9,893 euros) went on housing-related expenses like rent, electricity, water and gas. The second largest expenditure was food, which sapped 4,806 euros from the budget, followed by transport (3,230), restaurant and hotels (2,288) and leisure and culture (1,293).

 

To break it down further, most households spent around 520 euros more on food and drink last year than before the pandemic, 478 euros more on rent and 156 euros more on health products.

 

It’s hardly surprising that most households spent around 1,000 euros less last year than they did in 2019, since the year was marred by coronavirus restrictions, and the biggest differences in expenditure are seen in transport and eating out.

 

If the effect of inflation is ignored – a difficult task since this month it rose to the highest level in almost four decades – and the economic collapse of 2020 notwithstanding, the average spending by households in Spain last year was the lowest it has been since 2015.

 

Looking a little closer we can see that spending on medical items like masks was six times higher in 2021 than before the pandemic, while expenditure on clinical services and diagnostic tests doubled compared to two years ago.

 

But spending on other goods linked more indirectly to the health situation is also striking. For instance, spending on pregnancy tests and contraceptives has skyrocketed by 65%.

 

As many people were forced to work and study from home at the height of the pandemic, investment in computers and mobile phones grew by 60% and 14%, respectively. People spent 40.4% more on garden furniture, 37% more on upholstery and curtains and 32% more on plants and flowers.

 

Of course, Covid control measures meant that travel and leisure pursuits were severely curtailed and this freed up cash for lots of people, as spending on international tour packages plummeted by 85% last year. Following this trend was expenditure on theatres and concerts, which fell by 65%, international flights (down 61%) and metro and tram journeys (59.4%).

 

Image: Pixaby