Australian families are expected to spend an average of $538 per child on back-to school costs this year, an increase of 13 per cent over last year.

 

New data from YouGov’s Annual Back to School Research Report has found the cost of buying school supplies and uniforms across Australia has risen by $62 compared to the previous BTS period.

 

On average, uniforms nationwide are expected to cost $156 per child, a rise of $24, school shoes will cost $97, up $9, and school bags will cost an extra $9 at $59 each.

 

Lunch boxes and water bottles will cost $40, up $1 but stationery has seen an $8 price drop down to an average of $79.

 

Another bill more parents were feeling the brunt of is technology, with an average cost of $242 per child for ‘Bring Your Own Device’ programs in schools where students are required to have their own tablets or laptops.

 

Parents also expect to spend an average of $84 per child on sporting gear.

 

More than one in four parents with a child aged 13-17 years expects to spend more than $500 on tech devices this year.

 

The research, based on 1053 parents and commissioned by Big W, found 54 per cent said affordability was more important to them, and 43 per cent were concerned about product quality.

 

One in four parents said being able to purchase supplies online and having them delivered without going to a store was also important.

 

Seventy-seven per cent of parents with children aged 5-17 said they budgeted for these expenses, but only one in four (27 per cent) said they had a very detailed budget in place.

 

Two thirds (65 per cent) of parents said they always overspent as their children requested non-essential items when shopping.

 

However, mothers said they are better than dads at resisting “pester power”, with 42 per cent saying they do not overspend, compared to just a quarter of dads.