05.03.202600:54:00UTC+00Australia Personal Spending Rebounds in January

Household spending in Australia rose by 0.3% month-on-month in January 2026, recovering from an upwardly revised 0.5% decline in December. The strongest increases were recorded in miscellaneous goods and services (2.5%), health (1.7%), and transport (0.3%). More modest gains were seen in clothing and footwear (0.3%) and food (0.1%).

By contrast, expenditure fell on alcoholic beverages and tobacco (-1.7%), furnishings and household equipment (-0.7%), and hotels, cafes and restaurants (-0.6%).

Regionally, household spending increased in Tasmania (0.6%), New South Wales (0.5%), Victoria (0.5%), Queensland (0.1%), and Western Australia (0.3%). Declines were recorded in South Australia (-0.1%), the Northern Territory (-2.3%), and the Australian Capital Territory (-0.1%).

On an annual basis, household spending grew by 4.6% in January, the slowest rate since late May, following a 5.0% increase in December.