Sleighing the budget: Australians plan to splurge $37 billion this festive season
Australians are expected to loosen the purse strings this silly season, according to new research by Finder.
A Finder survey of 1,011 respondents revealed the average Aussie plans to shell out $1,750 this Christmas on gifts, food, alcohol, dining out, and travel.
That's $37 billion nationwide, and a 29% increase from the $1,357 spent by individuals last year
Rebecca Pike, money expert at Finder, said households are planning to increase their Christmas spend by $393 this year.
"Aussies are relaxing the purse strings this Christmas – this surge in festive spending is a sign that consumer confidence is creeping back.
"After years of cutting back, many families are finally feeling like they can breathe again and they're choosing to celebrate in style."
Finder's research shows over 1 in 3 Aussies (35%) planning to getaway over the holidays.
On average, Australians are expected to spend $706 on flights and accommodation, a 62% increase from 2024.
Gift-giving remains a priority – Australians are projected to spend $438 each on presents, up 22% from $359 last year.
That's $9.4 billion that will be spent on gifts nationwide, with 80% of respondents planning to buy presents.
Food and dining out remain a focus, with Australians budgeting an average of $269 for food and $215 for eating out – that's a staggering $4.6 billion nationwide.
3 in 5 Australians (60%) are planning a boozy Christmas, with the average spend per person dropping to $123 – the only spending decrease (15% drop) across all categories.
This brings the national total for alcohol spending to $2.6 billion.
Pike said festive fun wasn't worth financial stress in 2026.
"It's great to see Aussies are in a better position financially, but it's still important to spend with intention.
"A bigger Christmas shouldn't mean a bigger credit card bill in January – the smartest move is to enjoy the season without sabotaging your New Year budget."
Methodology
- Finder's Consumer Sentiment Tracker is a monthly recurring nationally representative survey of more than 60,000 respondents.
- Figures in this release are based on 1,011 respondents from October 2025.
- The Consumer Sentiment Tracker is owned by Finder and operated by Qualtrics.
- The survey has been running monthly since May 2019.
Sources
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