Here's What the Average American Spends on These 30 Essentials

It's natural to wonder how our lives compare to others. We may, for example, wonder if our neighbors have socked away more or less for their retirement than we have, and we may wonder if we're earning more or less than others with similar jobs.

We may also wonder if we're spending more or less than others on various common expenses. That's a particularly good thing to wonder, because if we find out we're above average on some counts, such as entertainment, it might spur us to reduce our spending. On some other counts, such as gas or insurance, it may be harder to cut back spending, but in just about every category, there are some ways to do so.

Here's a look at the average American spending on 30 common expenses. Much of the data is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' 2017 Consumer Expenditure Survey, and some of the data is from other sources.