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MoneySuperMarket says UK adults surveyed reported having an average £725.15 left each month after bills and other essential spending, £175.76 less than in October 2025. The survey also found reported after-tax monthly income fell faster than reported outgoings; its figures are self-reported and do not establish that rising energy and food prices alone caused the change.
People surveyed across the UK reported an average of £725.15 left each month after bills, housing costs and other essential spending, £175.76 less than in October 2025, according to MoneySuperMarket. The comparison website said reported incomes had fallen more sharply than outgoings, leaving households with less room in their budgets as costs such as food and energy put pressure on spending.
MoneySuperMarket’s Household Money Index found that respondents reported average monthly after-tax income of £2,203, down £355.58 from £2,558.58 in October 2025. They reported monthly spending of £1,477.85 across 31 bills and everyday expenses, compared with £1,657.67 a year earlier. The figures are survey responses, rather than a measurement of every household’s finances.
In the shorter comparison, between July and October 2026, reported monthly outgoings rose by £23.31, from £1,454.54 to £1,477.85. Reported after-tax income increased by only £2.50 over the same period. MoneySuperMarket calculated that the average amount remaining after these costs was therefore £20.81 lower than three months earlier.
The survey covered 8,000 adults across the UK and was conducted by Opinium, according to the report. MoneySuperMarket said 67 per cent of income was going to household bills and everyday expenses, compared with 65 per cent a year earlier. Respondents were also cutting back on items such as subscriptions, streaming services, gaming and gym memberships.
Less Room After Essential Bills
The reported fall points to a squeeze on the money households have available for discretionary spending or unexpected costs after meeting regular commitments. When a larger share of income goes to bills and everyday purchases, families may have less flexibility to save, replace essential items or manage a sudden expense. The survey does not show how each household is affected, but it offers a snapshot of reported budgets and the direction of the pressure.
There are signs of strain in the personal accounts included in the report. Charlie Shardlow, a 30-year-old sales manager in Stafford with two young children, told This Is Money that her family was thinking carefully about what it could afford and had delayed turning on central heating because of concern about the bill. Her experience is an individual account, not a finding that can be applied to all families.
The figures also differ across cities. MoneySuperMarket reported that London had the highest monthly outgoings among the cities it measured, at £1,703.60, but also the highest average amount left after costs, at £898.90. Norwich had the lowest reported remainder, £428.43, with outgoings taking 77 per cent of reported income. Those comparisons reflect the survey’s city-level results and should not be read as a complete account of local living costs.
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Income, Prices and Tax Pressure
The report links household pressure to rising food and energy costs, and says inflation and the war in Iran are contributing to higher everyday expenses. That is the report’s explanation; the survey figures on their own do not isolate the effect of any one price increase or identify how much each factor changed household budgets.
The article also points to pay and tax. It reports average wage growth of 3.7 per cent over the last year, against inflation of 3.5 per cent, describing the increase in real purchasing power as slight. It says the income tax personal allowance threshold has remained at £12,570 since 2021, so people whose earnings rise may become liable for tax or move into a higher band without the threshold rising. These are broader pressures cited alongside the survey, not calculations of what caused the £175.76 change.
Other estimates present a mixed picture. The Resolution Foundation projected that typical working-age households’ disposable income could fall by £1,050, or 3 per cent, between the report’s current point and 2029. Meanwhile, the Asda Income Tracker, produced for the supermarket by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, put average weekly discretionary household income at £262 in July to September 2026—£9.34 above the same quarter in 2025—while identifying pressure on lower- and middle-income households. These measures use different methods and should not be treated as direct equivalents to MoneySuperMarket’s survey.
“With two young children, it definitely feels like our money doesn’t go as far as it used to.”
— Charlie Shardlow, speaking to This Is Money
What the Survey Cannot Show
The figures are based on what survey respondents reported, and the source does not provide enough detail here to establish how representative the results are for every UK household or how individual costs were defined. MoneySuperMarket’s average also does not show the range of experiences behind it, including differences by household size, tenure, income or energy use.
It is also unclear from the reported data how much of the year-on-year fall in money left over reflects changes in prices, income, spending behaviour or the composition of survey responses. The article cites food and energy costs as sources of pressure, but provides no separate calculation of their contribution. The supplied report’s discussion of the Asda tracker also ends before giving its specific findings for middle-income households, so no further detail on that group can be confirmed here.
Upcoming Household Budget Indicators
The figures are a snapshot rather than a forecast of each household’s finances. Readers can compare future releases from MoneySuperMarket and other household-income trackers to see whether reported income, outgoings and discretionary spending change in subsequent periods. The Resolution Foundation projection cited in the report covers the period through 2029, but remains an estimate rather than a confirmed outcome.
For now, the clearest near-term comparison in the MoneySuperMarket data is the July-to-October movement: reported outgoings rose by £23.31 while after-tax income rose by £2.50. The next data release would help show whether that gap continues, narrows or reverses; no publication date for a follow-up was provided in the source material.
Key Questions
How much less do people have left each month?
MoneySuperMarket said respondents reported £725.15 left each month after bills, housing and other essential costs, £175.76 less than the £900.91 reported in October 2025.
How was the figure calculated?
The Household Money Index asked 8,000 UK adults about income and spending, with the survey conducted by Opinium. The result is based on reported figures and is not a record of every household’s accounts.
Did household spending rise over the year?
In the figures cited, average reported monthly spending was £1,477.85, below the £1,657.67 reported in October 2025. Reported monthly after-tax income fell by more over that period, which MoneySuperMarket said left less money after costs.
Which city had the least money left after costs?
Among the cities measured, Norwich had the lowest reported monthly remainder, at £428.43. MoneySuperMarket said bills and outgoings absorbed 77 per cent of reported income there.
Do the findings prove energy and food prices caused the decline?
No. The report identifies food and energy costs as pressures, but the survey figures do not separate their effects from changes in income, other spending or survey responses.
Source: thisismoney.co.uk
