Australian Household Spending Jumps 1.6% in March as Transport Costs Surge 5.1%

Australian household spending rose 1.6% month-on-month in March 2026 on a current price, seasonally adjusted basis, reaching $80,413 million, and was up 6.3% year-on-year. In volume terms, spending grew 0.7% in the March quarter, up 2.8% year-on-year. Spending increased across seven of nine categories, with transport leading at 5.1%, followed by food and miscellaneous goods and services, both up 1.7%. Goods spending rose 2.9% while services edged up 0.1%. Non-discretionary spending climbed 3.4%, outpacing discretionary spending, which rose 0.6%. All eight states and territories recorded monthly gains. Tasmania led with a 2.0% rise, driven by transport up 9.2%, followed by Queensland at 1.9% and New South Wales at 1.7%. In quarterly volume terms, Transport rose 1.7%, Health gained 1.5%, and Recreation and culture increased 1.1%.