Are You Spending More Than the Average American on 25 Everyday Items?
What is the opposite of keeping up with the Joneses? Maybe a better competition is trying to spend less than your neighbor and their creeping lifestyle inflation. From groceries and gas to streaming services and household essentials, the cost of daily life can add up fast.
If you're trying to build a smarter monthly budget, cut back on unnecessary costs or simply understand where your money is going, this breakdown of how much everyday items are costing everyone annually can help you see whether you're overspending. By comparing your costs to typical U.S. household expenses, you'll get a clearer picture of how your finances stack up and where you may have room to save.
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Transportation
Public transportation: $1,131
Vehicle maintenance and repairs: $984
Vehicle insurance: $1,993
Gasoline: $2,411
Whether you commute for work or prefer to take the bus, either way, it costs you money to leave your house every day. If you have a car, you have to deal with monthly auto payments, price volatility at the pump, maintenance and repairs. Even if you opt for public transportation, you still have to buy tickets or monthly passes.
Housing Costs
Rent: $23,103
Mortgage payments: $24,420
Utilities: $4,736
Housing is always going to take the biggest bite out of your budget, and that’s just the monthly cost of living in your home. You also have to keep the lights on and the temperature in the non-torturous range.
Monthly Bills and Subscriptions
Subscription services: $900
Cellphone bills: $1,359
Fitness and gym memberships: $733
Health insurance: $4,055
One of the biggest ways to free up some wiggle room in your budget is to thoroughly examine your monthly subscriptions and see if there are any you can edit. In this day and age, you probably need a cellphone, but you may not need every streaming service known to man. So if you don’t use it, lose it.
Food and Beverage
Groceries: $6,244
Dining out: $3,945
Coffee: $2,106
Alcohol: $643
Meal prepping can help out with the dining out costs that add up more quickly than you might think. However, that doesn’t mean you still don’t have to battle the rising food costs at your local grocery store.
Investing in Yourself
Education: $1,569
Retirement account contributions: $9,222
Having a financially secure future means having the foresight now to start saving for later. Whether you are funding your retirement savings or furthering your education to boost your earning potential, any investment you make in yourself is worth every penny.
Taking Care of Dependents
Infant day care: $17,150
Pets: $880
Your children, or slightly furrier children, all come with pretty hefty price tags when you break it down to brass tacks. Healthcare, day care, food and shelter are all non-negotiables within your budget.
Miscellaneous, Shopping and Fun
Entertainment: $935
Clothing and apparel: $2,001
Charitable donations: $2,292
Holiday food and decorations: $263
Holiday gifts: $628
Miscellaneous: $1,218
Saving money is great, but this doesn’t mean you can’t live a little. However, if you are going to trim some fat from your spending habits, this would be the section.
Methodology: For this study, MoneyLion found the amount the average American spent on 25 everyday items. MoneyLion used numerous sources, including: the National Retail Federation for holiday food/decorations and holiday gifts, Barbend.com for personal training/meal plan/gym clothes/gym membership/supplements, Care.com for infant day care costs, Go.Bango.com for subscription services, DriveResearch for coffee cost, Zillow Observed Rental Index for rental cost, Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey for all residents for alcohol/cellphone services/charitable donations/clothing/dining out/entertainment fees/gasoline/groceries/health insurance/miscellaneous/pets/public transportation/retirement across contributions/utilities/vehicle insurance/vehicle maintenance and the U.S. Census American Community Survey for mortgage. All data was collected on and is up to date as of Dec. 30, 2025.
This article was provided by MoneyLion.com for informational purposes only and should not be construed as financial, legal or tax advice.
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