How Much Should You Spend on Food Per Week in Australia?

📊 What Australians actually spend🔗

Getting a single, definitive figure for the average weekly grocery bill is harder than it sounds. The most comprehensive source is the ABS Household Expenditure Survey (HES), which showed average weekly household spending on food and non-alcoholic beverages at roughly $237 per week in 2015-16 (the most recent HES release as of mid-2026). That covers all household types combined, and it is now a decade old. With food inflation running hard since 2021, real-world spend is substantially higher today. More recent consumer surveys give a clearer picture:

• Canstar Blue (2024) put the average household grocery spend at roughly $168 per week, with single-person households around $107 and four-person households around $216.
• Finder found households reporting roughly $152 per week for a single person, $200 for a couple and $274 for a couple with children.
• Compare the Market tracked the national average at roughly $214 per week in January 2025, up from around $192 a year earlier.

These surveys use self-reported data and vary in methodology, so treat them as ballpark figures. The table below combines them into a practical range. These are groceries only (supermarket and fresh food), not total food spend.

Location makes a big difference. A Sydney or Melbourne household generally pays more than a regional Queensland one, simply because of store competition, transport costs and local prices. Regional and remote households often pay more for less choice, and the NT and ACT consistently show higher overall household spending than Tasmania and South Australia.

🍽️ Groceries vs eating out: the full picture🔗

🎯 The essential: Your weekly food spend is not just what you spend at Woolies or Coles. For most households, groceries are roughly 60 to 70% of total food spend, and eating out and takeaway make up the other 30 to 40%.

That means if a family is spending $400 a week on food in total, around $260 to $280 is likely groceries, and $120 to $140 is restaurants, cafes and UberEats (these are approximate proportions from available survey data). Eating out is usually the biggest lever. One fewer takeaway meal per week at $40 to $60 saves $2,000 to $3,000 over a year. The grocery budget matters, but it tends to be tighter to compress. Discretionary dining is where most households find the most room.

🧮 How to set your own food budget🔗

There is no single right answer. It depends on your income, household size, location, dietary needs and lifestyle. Anyone who gives you a precise universal figure is guessing. That said, a few frameworks help.

The share-of-income approach. The popular 50/30/20 rule allocates roughly 50% of take-home pay to needs, 30% to wants and 20% to savings and debt. Within the needs bucket, food typically sits at around 10 to 15% of take-home pay. For a household taking home $6,000 per month, that is $600 to $900 on food, or roughly $140 to $210 per week. For a household on $10,000 per month, it is $1,000 to $1,500 per month, or $230 to $350 per week. Higher-income households often spend more in absolute terms but a lower share; the ABS HES 2015-16 found food was about 19% of spending for low-income households versus around 14% for high-income households.

The envelope (category) method. Set a fixed weekly or fortnightly limit for groceries, and a separate limit for eating out. Track against it. That's it. Simple, and it works for most people. Our guide on building a family budget walks through it.

💸 Practical ways to spend less without misery🔗

Small changes add up fast. None of these require you to eat sad food.

• Meal plan before you shop. Decide what you're cooking, then write your list from that. Five minutes of planning saves real money and cuts waste.
• Shop with a list and stick to it. Supermarkets are designed to make you spend more. A list is your defence.
• Use unit pricing. Compare price per 100g or per litre, not the pack price. A bigger pack is not always cheaper.
• Try cheaper stores. Aldi consistently undercuts the major chains on staples. Local markets and ethnic grocers often beat supermarkets on fresh produce.
• Buy in season. Seasonal produce is cheaper, fresher and often tastier. Out-of-season produce travels further and costs more.
• Cut food waste. OzHarvest estimates households throw away up to roughly $2,500 of food per year. Use what you buy, freeze what you won't get to, and check the fridge before you shop.
• Reduce takeaway frequency. Cook a double batch on Sunday and you'll be less tempted to order on a tired Tuesday night.

For more, our save money on groceries guide covers specific tactics across meal planning, store choice and waste reduction.

🧾 Worked example: a family of four's weekly food budget🔗

This is an illustrative example only. It is not financial advice, and your numbers will differ. Household: 2 adults, 2 kids, combined take-home pay roughly $8,000 per month (about $2,000 per week).

At 20% of take-home, this family is spending above the typical 10 to 15% guide. That's not necessarily wrong. It might reflect dietary needs, a preference for quality ingredients or a high-cost area. But it's a useful flag. To bring food closer to 15% ($300 per week), the most obvious move is reducing eating out from $80 to around $30 to $40, and tightening the grocery shop by $20 to $30 through meal planning and less waste. Small shifts, real results.

❓ Frequently asked questions🔗