Melburnians put big bucks on study, good looks

Sydney households are the richest, earn the most and spend the most. But Melbourne has the big spenders on clothes, school fees and university fees, a study of Australians' spending patterns reveals.

The Bureau of Statistics found the average Australian household spent $883 a week in 2003-04 to buy goods and services, and paid $240 a week in income tax.

The Bureau's five-yearly household expenditure survey found big jumps since 1998-99 in spending on mobile phones, pay TV and the internet. By 2003-04 the average household spent $16 a week on them, and $23 on takeaways and fast food.

Based on surveys of income and spending by almost 7000 households, the bureau found Sydney, Canberra and Darwin have the nation's highest incomes and biggest household spending. Melbourne was above average; the rest of Victoria was well below.

Sydney had by far the highest rents, and the highest mortgage repayments outside Darwin. Its people paid the most income tax ($288 a week, compared to $238 in Melbourne) and were Australia's richest, with an average net worth of $624,626.

[ Melburnians put big bucks on study, good looks ]