Living costs in rural areas are significantly higher

LIVING costs for couples, ageing citizens and single parents are significantly higher in rural areas compared with urban locations, because of higher food and transport prices, according to a report.

Households in rural Ireland spend up to €108.61 more a week than urban households in order to have a minimum standard of living, the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice research found.

St Vincent de Paul vice-president John Monaghan yesterday warned that the stark situation for households living close or even below the poverty line would be worsened by any welfare or other cuts in the budget.

The study looked at six different rural household types and their spending across 16 areas in a week, except for housing. Working individuals or couples in the study were on the minimum wage.

A rural one-parent household with two young children was paying €69.91 more a week overall in living costs while a two-parent household with two young children was paying up to €108.61 more than a similar urban family.

The biggest differences between rural and urban costs related to purchasing food and travel. Food took up to nearly 25% of the extra costs for a two-parent rural family with children, while higher transport costs accounted for up to nearly 74% of the extra spend for the same family type.

Mr Monaghan explained: “When you live a considerable distance from one of the [supermarket] multiples, Dunnes Stores or Tesco for example, you’re shopping locally so it’s more expensive.”

Limited public transport and a reliance on cars were to blame for higher transport costs for rural households, he added:

“If you’re lucky enough to have a job and you have to travel, you may need a car. You may very well need two cars, as someone may need to take the children here and there. That’s an added expense that you don’t get to the same extent in city areas.”

Home heating also was more expensive for rural homes because of badly insulated housing or higher coal and oil costs, it was found.

The study looked at varying costs for rural households in other areas, such as clothing, personal care, communications, education, household fuel and insurance.

Areas where costs were lower for rural households included childcare, health and social activities.

The report found that, overall, a pensioner couple have to pay an extra €105.99 more than an urban elderly couple in their weekly budget while costs for a sole female pensioner were €98.28 extra.

Mr Monaghan warned any cuts to vulnerable groups in the forthcoming budget would cripple those already trying to keep up with their weekly costs.

“If significant numbers of people are struggling at the moment, any further reductions in welfare or support is simply going to push them further into poverty. We hear it every day and night of the week. People are telling us ‘we’re struggling, we can’t pay our ESB or our gas bill or we need to get books for kids going back to school’.”