12.01.202600:41:28UTC+00Australia Personal Spending Growth Eases

In November 2025, household expenditure in Australia increased by 1.0% compared to the previous month, marking a reduction from the slightly revised 1.4% growth seen in October. This deceleration indicates a trend of cautious consumer behavior as households are influenced by high interest rates. Specifically, spending growth slowed for categories such as food, which rose by 0.7% compared to 1.1% in October, furnishings at 2.2% versus 3.0%, hotels and restaurants at 1.2% against 2.2%, and miscellaneous items at 0.6% from 1.6%. Meanwhile, spending on alcoholic beverages saw a decrease of 1.8%, contrasting with a 1.9% rise previously. Conversely, there was an acceleration in spending on health, which increased to 0.5% from 0.4%, transport which reached 1.0% compared to 0.4%, and recreation, growing by 1.7% from 1.3%. Regionally, expenditure decelerated across most areas, including New South Wales, where it rose by 0.8%, Victoria and Queensland each at 1.0%, South Australia at 0.8%, and Northern Territory at 0.5%, but it quickened in Western Australia, showing a 1.7% increase. On a year-on-year basis, household spending surged by 6.3%, up from a 5.7% increase in October, marking the most significant rise since September 2023.