How much does it cost to raise a teenager in Luxembourg?

Research published by Statec shows that raising two teenagers could easily cost more than 1,000 euros

This week, the Luxembourgish statistical agency, Statec, published their data on how much it costs to raise a teenager in the Grand Duchy. The research focuses on kids between the ages of 15 and 18 and takes the hypothetical 15-year-old boy and 17-year-old girl, to represent the average expenses across genders and age groups.

According to the data, a typical 15-year-old boy would cost his parents 592.8 euros per month, while the girl would cost 697.8 euros. This price tag includes everything from food, transportation, school, and entertainment to leisure. According to the statement by Statec, it also shows a minimum of needs covered for a young person to live and function in Luxembourg normally while having a social life.

Crucially, the data in the research was collected between 2020 and 2021, so it does not account for the rapid rise of inflation since the start of the war in Ukraine. Nevertheless, researchers have reevaluated the final figures accounting for June 2021 – March 2022 inflation rate of 5.6% With the adjustment, a 15-year-old boy costs 626 euros per month and a 17-year-old girl is 737 euros.

Food is the biggest expense

The research by Statec is part of a project that includes many other facets of the economy and is aptly described as a ‘reference budget’. The statistical agency describes these budgets as a tool to help people navigate important financial decisions.

With that in mind, they state that a typical family, with two breadwinners and two teenagers, would need a monthly budget of 4,697.2 euros. 1,738.4 euros of that budget would go towards housing needs, while 1,177 euros would go towards feeding the family.

When it comes to teenagers, though, food seems to be the most expensive item at 293.1 euros for both boys and girls. Interestingly, the researchers did not count housing costs, as those fell under the general family budget, along with the costs of running a car.

Social life comes in second place with 139 euros for the boy and 134.7 euros for the girl. This figure takes into account the various facets of youth social life in the Grand Duchy, like parties, hobbies and sports.

The third item in the budget is clothing, with boys costing just a bit higher than girls, at 65.4 euros to 64.9 euros. The next item is transportation, where costs drop significantly due to Luxembourg’s law on free public transport - with just 4 euros for both. This dynamic could shift quite dramatically, though, when a young person tries to pass their driver’s test, with an additional 100 euros per month.

Multimedia products, on the other hand, have been generally unaffected by the recent jump in prices and the research says that both boys and girls would cost around 19.7 euros per month. Importantly, this number is for equipment that would allow them to keep in touch with their friends and have fun.

Finally, education costs 26.3 euros per young person per month. This basket includes all school materials, the rental of a tablet and office equipment for the home.