Monthly consumer spending by families residing in Sardinia recorded a very slight increase of 0.3% in value in 2023, but collapsed in real terms by -5.78% due to the high prices that characterized last year .

This is stated by Adiconsum Sardegna , which carried out a study based on Istat data on Italian consumption published in the last few hours.

The average monthly expenditure of a family resident in Sardinia, explains Adiconsum, stood at 2,233.76 euros in 2023, with a minimum growth of +0.32% compared to the previous year (2,226.60 euros). The region is in third-last place in Italy in terms of expenditure , after Calabria (2,007 euros per month) and Puglia (2,060 euros), far from Trentino Alto Adige which records average consumption of 3,477 euros per month per household.

However , in real terms, spending by Sardinian families is sharply reduced on an annual basis , and is down by an average of 5.78% on 2022 – explains the association – This is due to the strong increases in prices and tariffs recorded in the region in 2023, with annual inflation averaging +6.1% : citizens have therefore spent more to buy less.

A sector particularly affected by spending cuts was the food sector : for food and drinks, a Sardinian family spent an average of 420.31 euros per month in 2023, 18.8% of total consumption, with a growth of +7.9% on 2022, when food consumption was equal to 389.49 euros per month. However, if we consider the strong increase in prices that hit the food and drink item last year, with price lists rising by an average of 10.8% on an annual basis, Sardinians' food expenditure falls in real terms by -2.9% on 2022.

"The Istat numbers demonstrate not only how Sardinia continues to record lower consumer spending than the national average , even -18.4% compared to the Italian average, but also the negative effects of price increases on family habits - says President Giorgio Vargiu - To defend themselves from high prices and balance their budgets, , subjecting themselves to a forced diet and also worsening the quality of their purchases by aiming for maximum savings".