Section 3: Cost of living and transport costs
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Cost of living is the most important issue nominated as requiring focus
Groceries and fuel are the top cost-of-living concerns impacting household budgets
Most people do not regularly consider the price of fuel when making travel decisions
People use toll roads to take the most direct route and save time
This section looks at the top cost-of-living concerns impacting people’s household budgets, and the different factors people consider when making transport choices.
Cost of living Predictably, given the current macro- economic conditions, cost of living emerged as the top issue impacting people across all cities surveyed. The concern about cost of living remained consistent in most cities in 2024, aside from the Greater Washington Area where there was an increase in concern by almost 10% from last year. In Australia, 76% listed cost of living as the top issue requiring focus, followed by housing affordability and housing supply. In Greater Washington, jobs and economic growth came second to cost of living; and in Montreal, hospitals and healthcare were the second most important issue. Looking at specific cost-of-living concerns, the top expenses impacting household budgets remained consistent across all cities in 2024, with groceries again ranking as the top cost-of-living concern, followed by fuel.
internet providers; delaying large purchases such as upgrading a car; and cancelling subscriptions or memberships (Figure 12 and Figure 14). In Greater Washington, most people are delaying large purchases, cancelling subscriptions or memberships and automating their savings by splitting money into savings and spending accounts. (Figure 13).
Concern about insurance premiums was the biggest increase on Australian (Figure 9) and Greater Washington (Figure 10) household budgets from last year – both coming in fourth on the list – while in Montreal the biggest increase was rent (Figure 11). When it comes to saving money, the top three ‘big decisions’ people in Australia and Montreal are taking include: switching energy and
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