Italian families’ expenditure rises by 36% in 10 years

The frightening average, ranging from energy to food, was calculated by Facile.it and by Consumerismo No Profit over the course of a decade.

Let us say straight away that it is a classic vicious circle, which has been in operation for some time and on which Confcommercio’s latest Misery Index has also focused.

How household utilities and fuel prices are soaring

In the period 2015-2025, according to this observatory, ironically named ‘Cara Italia’, the standard electricity bill rose by 22%, the gas bill by 64%, the cost of a petrol fill-up by 13% (18% for diesel), while the main food products recorded equally worrying increases.

And despite the increase in gross incomes, purchasing power has fallen.

The first item examined was precisely that relating to domestic lighting.

Analysing Eurostat data, Facile.it calculated that over ten years the average tariff for electricity intended for consumers rose by approximately 22%, taking the expenditure of a typical family (consumption of 2.000 kWh) from 486 euros in 2015 to 593 in 2025, with an additional cost of 108 euros.

The situation is worse for gas, which, again for a typical family (consumption of 1.100 Smc, standard cubic metres per year), rose by 64%, going from 1.064 euros in 2015 to more than 1.740 in 2025, an increase of as much as 677 euros. “An additional cost – the observatory states – destined to worsen in 2026, considering that, since February, following the outbreak of the war in Iran, the price of this raw material has started to rise again, with obvious repercussions on people’s bills”.

Another expenditure item that has risen significantly is, as mentioned, fuel; the owner of a medium-sized car who, in 2015, travelled 10.000 km, spent 1.013 euros on petrol, whereas in 2025 1.144 were needed (+13%).

For a diesel car, on the other hand, the refuelling cost rose from 773 euros in 2015 to 909 in 2025 (+136 euros or +17,6%). In this case too, 2026 is expected to produce a costly balance; looking at the first 9 months of the year, the difference compared with the corresponding period of 2025 was +7% for petrol and +20% for diesel.

Adding the increase in utility bills to that at the pump and considering just one petrol car per family, total expenditure rose from 2.563 euros in 2015 to 3.478 euros last year, an additional cost of 915 euros (+36%).

Energy drives food prices towards double-digit increases

The increase in energy products has clearly had very serious negative repercussions on business logistics and therefore also on the price of many products, starting with food products, which further worsened the final balance.

Consumerismo No Profit recorded, from 2015 to 2025, double-digit increases among the main foods forming the basis of the Mediterranean diet: fresh bread, for example, recorded an increase of 43% (from approximately 2,90 to 4,14 €/kg), semolina pasta rose by 40% (from 1,20 to 1,68 €/kg), EVO oil by 65% (reaching 7,42 €/l), eggs rose by 23% and fresh milk by 26 per cent.

Bad news also for fruit and vegetables: apples, just to give one example, in 2025 cost 33% more, reaching 1,73 €/kg, courgettes 47% more and the price of tomatoes shot up by as much as 50%, reaching 2,70 €/kg.

Sharp increases, then, for dairy products, with Parmigiano Reggiano rising by 27% and meat, including cheaper cuts such as chicken breast, increasing by 35%; roasted coffee rose by as much as 73 per cent.

Wages are rising, but income is not enough

Prices are rising and disposable income is not always sufficient to cover expenses.

According to the OECD, which records the annual trend in average annual gross wages per full-time equivalent worker, over the 10 years Italian earnings recorded an +18% , rising from 29.473 euros in 2015 to 34.733 euros in 2025.

Adjusting the figure for cumulative inflation, despite a slight recovery recorded in 2024-2025, it emerges that real wages underwent a contraction of approximately 4% compared with 2015.

In other words, although one receives a nominally larger pay packet, workers’ purchasing power has fallen compared with ten years ago, and the price increases recorded in 2026 could further worsen Italian families’ finances.

Note: average data published by Mase were used for fuel prices. Consumption: petrol car 6,6 l/100 km; diesel car 5,5l/100 km, lorry 25l/100 km.

This article was translated from the original Italian version with the assistance of artificial intelligence. In case of discrepancies, please refer to the original Italian version.