Taipei led Taiwan in average household spending last year and was the only city or county that exceeded NT$1 million (US$31,845) for the year, a survey by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) showed.
The survey found that households in Taipei spent NT$1.083 million on average last year, ahead of Hsinchu City (NT$956,393) and Hsinchu County (NT$945,759). Many employees of large tech companies at the Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區) live in the area.
Of the six special municipalities, Taoyuan was second in average household spending at NT$901,666, followed by Taichung (NT$865,525), New Taipei City (NT$820,520), Kaohsiung (NT$793,253) and Tainan (NT$717,367), the survey showed.
Taipei’s average household spending was more than double that of Taitung County (NT$534,302), where households spent less on average than anywhere else, the DGBAS said.
Nationwide, household spending last year averaged about NT$811,000, little changed from a year earlier, while average household savings were NT$225,000, up 8.5 percent from a year earlier, the data showed.
Housing expenses, including utilities and natural gas, accounted for the most spending nationwide, averaging NT$194,288, with Taipei households spending the most at NT$310,679, the data showed.
Households in Taoyuan (NT$218,630) and New Taipei City (NT$218,126) were the next-highest spenders in the category, while Tainan (NT$156,037) spent the least among the six special municipalities, the survey showed.
Medical care was another major expense, averaging NT$129,000 per household nationwide and NT$150,546 per household in Taipei. Tainan (NT$124,876) and Taoyuan (NT$116,632) spent the least on medical care among the six special municipalities, it showed.
The other major spending category was leisure, including restaurant meals or hotel stays, the DGBAS said, with NT$99,978 in average spending in the category.
Households in Kaohsiung (NT$119,696) and Taichung (NT$115,720) spent the most on leisure, followed by Taipei (NT$112,002), it said.
National average disposable income rose NT$17,363, or 1.7 percent, from a year earlier to NT$1.036 million last year, the DGBAS said.
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