Development and Distribution of Living Costs in Austria

This research report aims to shed light on the distributional effects of the development of living costs and the associated changes in the financial leeway of Austrian households. Together with income and wealth, consumption and spending patterns represent a major dimension of living standards (Stiglitz, Sen, and Fitoussi 2010). Poverty research, especially in industrialized countries, pays less attention to this dimension than to the analysis of the income situation (Kus, Nolan, and Whelan 2004). For Austria, this publication combines the dimensions of income and expenditure with a focus on consumption. It focuses on the different signs of the cost of living for different socio-economic groups. These are mainly income groups, but also geographical groups or household types, for example.

Austrian Federal Ministry for Labour, Social Affairs and Consumer Protection