Family food budget: how much does a household with children need?
BFS breaks food spending down by household type, not by number of people. A couple with three or more children spent around CHF 1'082 per month on food at home (around 7.5 percent of gross income), a single person around CHF 351 (BFS, pooled survey 2015 to 2017). Per head a family spends noticeably less than a single person, because larger packs are cheaper.
Updated regularly. How much a family needs for food can be framed with BFS figures, but only with the right caveat. The Federal Statistical Office breaks food spending down by household type, not by number of people. A couple with three or more children spent around CHF 1'082 per month on food at home (BFS, pooled survey 2015 to 2017), a single person around CHF 351. The jump is large, but not linear.
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How much food budget does a family need?
The BFS figures by household type give the orientation: a couple with three or more children spent around CHF 1'082 per month on food at home (around 7.5 percent of gross income), a single person under 65 around CHF 351 (BFS, pooled survey 2015 to 2017). Important: BFS has no four-person-household category; the closest is a couple with two children. And the figures are pooled over several years, because the annual sample is too small to split cleanly by type. One pattern is clear, though: per head a family spends noticeably less than a single person, because larger packs are cheaper and less spoils per person.
| Household type | Food at home / month | Share of gross income |
|---|---|---|
| Single person under 65 | around CHF 351 | ~5.1 % |
| Average of all households | around CHF 632 | ~6.3 % |
| Couple with 3+ children | around CHF 1'082 | ~7.5 % |
Where a family saves most on food
Exactly where the volume is large. For a family, three levers pay off especially: switching to budget own-brands on staples (30 to 50 percent cheaper per Kassensturz and K-Tipp), larger packs on shelf-stable products as long as the unit price per kilo really is lower, and avoiding food waste, which costs around CHF 600 per person a year. Because a family buys so much, every percentage point of saving acts on a large amount. But the cheapest chain changes by week and product, so a fixed family shop leaves money on the table.
In the Rappn app you set up the family weekly shop as a list and see per product where it is cheapest, across every chain. Through the receipt scan you also see your real monthly figure. For what is normal for smaller households, see how much money for food per month, and how to turn food waste back into money, food waste is money.
Sources checked: .
This is Rappn's spending view: scan your receipts to see your family's real monthly food figure, the line where large volumes make every saved percent count. Tap around to try it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a family in Switzerland need for groceries?
As orientation: a couple with three or more children spent around CHF 1'082 per month on food at home per BFS (pooled survey 2015 to 2017), around 7.5 percent of gross income. The average of all households is around CHF 632. BFS does not publish a fixed figure for a four-person household.
Is there a BFS figure for a four-person household?
No, not directly. BFS breaks spending down by household type (single, couple, couple with children), not by number of people. The closest to a four-person household is a couple with two children. The available by-type figures are also pooled over several years.
Does a family spend more or less per head than a single person?
Less per head. Larger households benefit from economies of scale: larger packs are cheaper per kilo, and less spoils per person. So the total rises with family size, but not linearly with the number of people.
Where does a family save most on shopping?
Through budget own-brands on staples (30 to 50 percent cheaper per Kassensturz and K-Tipp), cheaper bulk packs on shelf-stable goods (only if the unit price really is lower) and avoiding food waste (around CHF 600 per person a year). With large volumes, every saved percentage point counts.