UK households spent on average £127 a week on housing-related costs in 2004-05, according to analysis in family spending, published by the Office for National Statistics this week.

Across all households, average weekly spending within £127 included:

• £46 on mortgages
• £24 on housing alterations and improvements
• £22 on council tax, water charges and other local taxes and service charges.
• £14 on rent net of rebates and benefits.

Among households paying rent, the average net rent for the United Kingdom was £50 a week. In comparison with this UK average, the average for London was 56% higher (£79) and the average for Northern Ireland was 57% lower (£22).

For households with mortgages, the average weekly cost was £114. Households in London, the South East and the East spent on average more than the UK average. Households in London spent the most £152 a week, 34% more than the UK average. Households in Northern Ireland spent the least on their mortgage, £73 a week, 36% less than the UK average.

Family spending

Households spent on average £434 a week in total and this covered items such as:

• Transport with an average spend of £60 a week
• Recreation and culture, at £59 a week. This includes televisions, computers, newspapers, books, leisure activities and package holidays
• Food and non-alcoholic drink £45

Transport included £25.10 on buying vehicles, £26.40 on the operation of personal transport (for example petrol, diesel, repairs and servicing) and £8.10 on transport services such as rail, tube and bus fares.

Food and non-alcoholic drink purchases contributed £45 to weekly household expenditure - £10.20 of which went on meat, £3.20 on fresh vegetables and £2.60 on fresh fruit. Non-alcoholic drinks accounted for £3.80 and £2 was spent on chocolate and confectionery each week.

Average weekly household expenditure was highest at £686 among households with three or more adults and children and lowest at £133 among one-person retired households who were mainly dependent on the state pension. Households with two adults and two children spent an average of £624 a week.

Expenditure also varies with the age of the household reference person. Those households where the reference person was aged 30 to 49 spent the most, on average, at £537 a week. Those where the reference person was aged 75 and over had the lowest average household expenditure, £193 a week.

Averaged over the three years from 2002-03 to 2004-05, households in the UK spent £420 a week. Expenditure varied from £484 a week in London, 15% more than the UK average to £346 a week in the North East. London, the South East and the East of England were the only regions in which the average expenditure was higher than the UK average. Spending in the North East was 18% lower than the UK average.

Three quarters of all households (75%), owned a car or van and 33% owned two or more. 24% of those in the lowest income group owned at least one car or van, compared with 95% of households in the highest income group.

Households in the highest income groups were also much more likely to have a home computer, an internet connection and a mobile phone, than those in lower income groups. 58%, of UK households owned a home computer and 49% had an internet connection. In the highest income group 93% of households owned a home computer and 89% of households had an internet connection, compared with just 25% and 18% respectively of households in the lowest income group.

Ownership of mobile phones followed the same pattern: 78% of UK households owned a mobile phone. 45% of households in the lowest income group reported owning a mobile phone, compared with 94% in the highest income group.