Food and drink make up 42% of an average monthly expenditure of 1500 lei (EUR356) of a household in the first quarter of 2011, compared to 40.3% in the same period of 2008, before the crisis, when total expenses amounted to RON1300. Health expenses increased from 4.5% to 4.8% in the same interval.
Cigarettes and alcohol increased their share of expenses by one point, from 6.2% to 7.2%.
The share of home, utilities and other similar expenses remained flat at 18.6%, while that of transport stood at 5.8%.
Romanians spent less of their consumption budget on communications (4.6%), clothing and shoes (3.9%), furniture (3.8%), restaurants, hotels, leisure, culture and education (9.3%). The most significant reduction, from 5.5% to 3.9%, was for the share of clothing and shoes.
The crisis and economic uncertainty made Romanians more careful about their personal finances, says the study. Salary raises will barely cover inflation this year and the next, and households currently do not have enough power to generate a significant growth of the gross domestic product.