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MoneySuperMarket says UK adults surveyed had an average £725.15 left each month after bills, housing and other essential spending, £175.76 less than in October 2025. Its survey also found reported after-tax income fell faster than reported outgoings; the figures describe survey responses, not a measure of every household’s finances.
People in the UK reported having 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 points to pressure on household budgets, but the figures come from survey responses and do not establish the change for every household.
MoneySuperMarket’s Household Money Index found that respondents reported average monthly after-tax income of £2,203, down from £2,558.58 in October 2025. Their reported average spending across 31 household bills and everyday outgoings was £1,477.85 a month. The company said the survey was conducted by Opinium among 8,000 adults across the UK.
The figures show reported income falling more than reported spending over the comparison period. MoneySuperMarket said bills and everyday expenses accounted for 67 per cent of income, compared with 65 per cent a year earlier. The source material also reports that outgoings rose by £23.31 between July and October 2026, while after-tax income increased by £2.50 over the same period, leaving respondents with £20.81 less after costs.
The report attributes pressure on budgets to rising costs, including food and energy, alongside incomes that have not kept pace. It cites average wage growth of 3.7 per cent over the past year and inflation of 3.5 per cent. Those are separate measures, and the report says their closeness means pay has barely gained value in real terms.
How the Monthly Squeeze Shows Up
A fall in the amount left after essentials can leave households with less room for irregular costs, savings or discretionary purchases. MoneySuperMarket said respondents were cutting back on subscriptions, streaming, gaming and gym spending to manage costs. These reported adjustments suggest some people are responding by trimming optional spending, although the survey does not quantify how many households made each cut.
The impact differs by location in the index. London had the highest reported monthly outgoings among the cities measured, at £1,703.60, but respondents there also reported the highest amount left after costs, £898.90. Norwich had the lowest reported remainder, at £428.43, and outgoings equalled 77 per cent of reported income. These city figures reflect the survey’s results and should not be read as a complete ranking of every household’s living costs.
The broader concern is whether income growth can keep pace with household expenses. The cited figures offer a snapshot of reported budgets, not a forecast or proof that all families are worse off by the same amount. Still, a smaller monthly margin can make a rise in heating, food or other routine costs harder to absorb.
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Income, Bills and Tax Pressures
The report places the survey alongside frozen income tax thresholds. It says the threshold at which people begin paying income tax has remained at £12,570 since 2021. When earnings rise while thresholds stay fixed, some people may begin paying tax or move into a higher tax band. The material links that policy to pressure on household finances, but does not calculate how much it accounts for in the £175.76 change.
It also cites a forecast from the Resolution Foundation that typical working-age households’ disposable income could fall by £1,050, or 3 per cent, by 2029. That is a think-tank projection, not an observed outcome. Helen Miller, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, described the outlook for households as “depressing” and said the decade was set to be the worst on record for household income growth. These assessments provide wider context, but they are distinct from MoneySuperMarket’s survey results.
Another measure gives a different view of household spending power. The source cites Asda’s Income Tracker, produced for the supermarket by the Centre for Economics and Business Research, which put average weekly discretionary income at £262 in July to September 2026. It was £2.61 higher than in the previous quarter and £9.34 above the same quarter of 2025. The report said lower- and middle-income households faced a particular squeeze; the supplied material does not include the full breakdown.
““Depressing””
— Helen Miller, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies
What the Survey Cannot Establish
The headline figure is an average drawn from survey responses, not an administrative record of household income and spending. The source does not provide the full methodology, the distribution of responses, or results by household type and income for the £175.76 comparison. It is therefore unclear how representative the average is of particular groups, including families with children, renters or pensioners.
The source also connects the squeeze with food and energy costs, inflation, wage growth and tax thresholds, but does not isolate the contribution of each factor. Its timing references require care: it describes a latest survey and comparisons with October 2025, and gives a July-to-October 2026 change. The supplied material does not state the publication date or fully explain the survey fieldwork dates, so readers should treat those periods as reported rather than infer a more precise timeline.
Nor does the survey establish that every respondent had £176. less to spend. Household budgets vary, and the reported average can conceal both larger losses and households whose finances improved. The separate Asda tracker and Resolution Foundation projection measure different things and cannot be directly substituted for the MoneySuperMarket figure.
Further Data Needed on Household Budgets
The immediate next step is for MoneySuperMarket or the survey provider to publish fuller details on fieldwork dates, methodology and results by household and income group. That would help show whether the reported fall was concentrated among particular groups or spread more broadly. The source material does not identify a scheduled follow-up survey or a further announcement.
Readers can also compare future releases with the same measures: reported after-tax income, essential outgoings and money remaining after costs. Separate official releases on inflation, wages and household incomes may clarify how economic conditions change, but they will not by themselves explain the survey’s results. Until more detail is available, £725.15 and the £175.76 decline should be understood as MoneySuperMarket’s reported averages and comparison, rather than a precise account of every UK household’s finances.
Key Questions
What does the £176 figure represent?
It is the rounded difference between the average amount respondents said they had left after bills, housing and other essential spending: £725.15 in the latest survey, compared with £900.91 in October 2025.
How many people were surveyed?
MoneySuperMarket said Opinium surveyed 8,000 adults across the UK. The supplied report does not give the full survey methodology or the dates when responses were collected.
Does the survey show that every household has £176 less?
No. It reports an average based on survey responses. Household finances differ, and the figures do not show that each household experienced the same change.
Which city had the least money left after reported costs?
Among the cities measured, respondents in Norwich reported £428.43 left after monthly costs, the lowest amount in the index. MoneySuperMarket said outgoings there absorbed 77 per cent of reported income.
What remains unknown about the reported fall?
The supplied material does not explain how much of the change came from food, energy, income or other costs, nor does it provide a full breakdown by household type. It also does not give complete survey fieldwork details.
Source: thisismoney.co.uk
