Household spending in Australia rose by 1.1% month-on-month in July 2026, following an upwardly revised 1.0% increase in June and marking the third consecutive monthly gain. The result significantly exceeded market expectations of a 0.4% rise.
Spending increased across all major categories, including food (1.0% vs 0.3% in June), alcohol and tobacco (0.9% vs 1.3%), clothing (1.6% vs -0.6%), furnishings (0.4% vs 0.6%), health (1.2% vs 0.6%), transport (0.6% vs 3.4%), recreation (1.5% vs 1.6%), hotels, cafes, and restaurants (1.1% vs 0.1%), and miscellaneous goods and services (1.3% vs -0.5%).
Regionally, all states and territories recorded gains: New South Wales (0.7%), Victoria (1.3%), Queensland (1.1%), South Australia (0.7%), Western Australia (1.5%), Tasmania (1.2%), the Northern Territory (2.2%), and the Australian Capital Territory (1.2%).
On an annual basis, household spending rose 7.0%, up from 6.1% in June, marking the fastest pace since June 2023.
