The average UK household will cost a total of £1,802,000 (or £29,000 a year) to run over the course of a lifetime, according to new analysis by Prudential of the Family Spending Report from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The figures show that household costs fluctuate over time, with annual costs peaking at £45,000 when the head of the household is aged between 30 and 49, reflecting the costs of raising children.
By comparison, pensioner household expenditure drops to £25,000 a year when the head of the household is aged between 65 and 74, and to £17,000 for those aged 75 and above.
Vince Smith-Hughes, retirement spokesperson at Prudential, said the figures are “startling”, showing a gulf of more than £14,000 annually between income and expenditure in the early years of retirement if the householders rely solely on the Basic State Pension.
He said: “This pays just £10,310 a year currently to the average retired household. To make up the difference, pensioners will have to dig deep into their savings or personal pension plans, unless they simply choose to go without.”
“Saving as much money as possible from early in working life is key to being able to supplement the State Pension and ensure sufficient income to live a comfortable retirement. Our analysis shows that the average household spends £230,000 on recreation and £128,000 on hotels over the course of a lifetime, so by tightening their belts a little people could afford to save more towards retirement.
“Although living costs do fall as people reach their twilight years, health costs tend to increase, so the average household costs are nowhere near covered by the State Pension, even in households with two pension incomes. Seeking professional financial advice could help people to plan better to be able to meet their everyday living costs in retirement, as well as those steeper health costs which can occur later in life.”
The Prudential analysis also reveals that the lifetime cost of people’s direct taxation, (income tax and national insurance contributions), is £385,000 for the average household.
Smith-Hughes added: “Saving into a pension scheme can also be an excellent way of reducing tax liability as basic rate taxpayers can claw back 25p in income tax relief for every pound they save into a pension, and for high rate taxpayers this rises to 67p in the pound.”
Prudential’s analysis reveals that housing is the single largest expense for a typical UK household, with mortgages, rent, repairs, energy and council tax costing, on average, a total of £508,000 over a lifetime.
Services provided by the State in the UK account for some of the least expensive lifetime costs for households, for example the average UK household spends just £364 a year on education, and £343 on healthcare. The expenditure in these two areas combined stands at only £44,000 over the course of a lifetime.
Recreation and culture is the second largest expense (£230,000), a reflection of the relatively high quality of life enjoyed by many people in the UK.
