Latvian households' food spending patterns shift as budget shares vary by age and location
In 2025, Latvian households spent the largest share of their food budget on meat, dairy and grain products, with elderly households allocating far more of their overall spending to food than families with children. Over six years, consumption of traditional staples like eggs, potatoes and bread has declined, while water, soft drinks and dairy consumption has risen.
Latvian households in 2025 spent the biggest portion of their food budget on meat and meat products, and equally on milk, dairy products and eggs — each accounting for 17% of food spending, or around 25.7 euros per household member monthly. Grain products took up 12.3% of food spending, while vegetables, salads and legumes accounted for 11.7%.
The share of food spending within overall household budgets varies significantly by household type. Households consisting of a single senior aged 65 or older, or entirely of people 65 and up, spent around 30% of their daily expenses on food and non-alcoholic beverages. Families with children spent noticeably less on food relative to their total budgets, ranging from 20.8% for couples with children to 23.2% for other households with children.
Rural versus urban consumption
Rural households consume significantly more home-grown or traditional foods than urban households, including eggs, potatoes, milk, fresh pork, bread, canned vegetables, cucumbers, carrots and sugar. Urban households, meanwhile, purchase more store-bought products such as cheese, kefir and yogurt, poultry, ready-made meals, citrus fruits, apples, bananas and coffee.
Six-year consumption trends
Compared with 2019, consumption per household member of several traditional foods has declined by 2025 — including eggs, potatoes, milk, bread, fresh pork and fish. At the same time, consumption of water, non-alcoholic beverages, yogurt and kefir, ice cream, and cheese has increased.
Last year, nearly four-fifths of total food-related spending went toward groceries bought in shops, markets or other retail outlets, averaging 142 euros per person monthly. Catering services accounted for an average of 30 euros monthly, while another 8.5 euros represented the estimated value of food grown, gathered, hunted, fished or received for free from relatives or friends.
