Agile Market Intelligence’s Consumer Pulse surveys around 1,500 Australian consumers monthly to monitor sentiment, financial stress, and behavioural shifts across key household segments. As inflation rises, an increasing percentage of Australian households are prioritising day-to-day expenses over savings and debt repayment.
Key stats you need to know
- Australians across all debt categories are showing growing concern about their day-to-day expenses.
- 60% of debt-free consumers prioritise savings in November, still the largest group that focuses on savings, but down 5 percentage points from August.
- Mortgage holders remain most concerned about debt repayment at 68%, however those prioritising daily expenses grew 3% from the previous month.
Day-to-day expenses take precedence over other financial concerns
- Australians prioritising day-to-day expenses is at 28%, growing 4 percentage points since September.
- Almost 1 in 2 Australians (44%) still view savings as their financial priority as of November 2025, down 5 percentage points from September.
Savings remain the focus for 44% of the population, continuing a gradual downward trend compared to last month. This is a similar pattern for those focused on paying off their debts, concerning 28% of them. By contrast, more Australians are growing concerned with their day-to-day expenses, with a 2% increase from October, and a 4% increase overall since September 2025. Close to 1 in 3 (28%) Australians now consider daily expenses their financial priority.
Consumer debt holders grow increasingly worried over their daily expenses
- 36% consumer debt holders prioritise savings in November, a 6% drop from September's 42%. This represents the largest shift in priority.
- 40% of consumer debt holders are prioritising debt repayment in November 2025, maintaining it as the largest financial priority for this segment.
- 24% are now prioritising day-to-day expenses, a 2% increase from October and a 5% increase since September.
For households with consumer debt, debt repayment priority dropped 3% in November as these households grew more concerned about savings and daily expenses. Almost 1 out of 4 (24%) now worry about their daily costs. Consumer debt holders show the most significant priority shifts among all segments.
Paying debts remains the focus of mortgage holders, while daily expenses become a growing concern
- Around 2 out of 3 of mortgage holders have been consistently prioritising paying off their debts in the past nine months.
- More mortgage holders are prioritising their day-to-day expenses this month, the highest since last June.
Less mortgage holders have been prioritising their savings in the past few months. Only 21% consider savings a priority, the lowest rate in the past nine months. By contrast, paying off debts remains the top focus for mortgage holders, concerning 68% of this group. The biggest shift, however, is the increasing worry over day-to-day expenses, having soared by 3% in comparison to the previous month. The last time that 11% of this group was concerned over daily expenses was back in June 2025.
Households with no debt also prioritising daily expenses over savings
- Three out of 5 Australians with neither debts nor mortgages still view savings as their financial priority.
- Debt-free households prioritising day-to-day expenses (38% in November) has been slowly increasing since the drastic drop to 34% in August.
After dropping in August this year, Australians with no debts nor mortgages are setting their financial prioritises again towards their day-to-day expenses. Thirty eight per cent are concerned about this matter, a trend that has been gaining traction in the past few months. By contrast, less have been prioritising savings, seeing a 5% decrease since August.
“The shift in financial priority is clearly from the rising cost of living. November’s consumer confidence data shows us how quickly households have felt the effects of inflation.” said Michael Johnnson, Director of Agile Market Intelligence.
About the research
This article is based on findings from Agile Market Intelligence’s Consumer Pulse survey, conducted across March to November 2025. Results were weighted to reflect national population profiles by age, gender, and state.
The Consumer Pulse is a monthly tracker of Australian consumers developed by Agile Market Intelligence to monitor consumer sentiment, financial stress, and behavioural shifts across key household segments. The survey provides a real-time view of financial wellbeing in Australia, segmented by debt status and home ownership.
