The average income of families in Portugal was around about €20,000 in 2010/2011 the National Statistics Institute (INE) said on Wednesday 20 June.

According to their ‘Family Expenses Inquiry’ housing, transport and food amounted to about 57% of the annual family household income.

While housing costs rose between 2000 and 2010 from 19.8% to 29.2%, the proportion spent on transport stayed relatively stable at around 14.5%.

There was a notable reduction in the amount spent on food and non-alcoholic drinks which fell from 18.7% to 13.3%.

Another finding in the report was that families spent more on hotels, cafes and restaurants (over €2,100 a year) than on health (just under €1,200) and education (€440).