Shanghai residents biggest earners, spenders in H1

Shanghai residents earned the most and spent the most in the first half of this year, topping other cities, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The per-capita disposable income in Shanghai was 32,612 yuan while the per capita household consumption expenditure was 21,321 yuan.

Household consumption expenditure refers to expenditures that cover a household's daily life, including food and drinks, clothing, housing, transportation, education, healthcare and entertainment.

The average household consumption expenditure nationwide in the first half of this year was 9,609 yuan, up 6.7 percent year-on-year, the data shows.

The per-capita consumption expenditures in Shanghai, Beijing, Tianjin, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Jiangsu, Fujian, Liaoning, Hubei and Inner Mongolia autonomous region were above the national average.

The three sectors that cost the most were food and drinks, housing and transportation.

Consumptions on sports, health and travel rose sharply in the first half of this year, said Wang Youjuan, head of household survey office of NBS. Spending on sports and physical activities increased 39.3 percent year-on-year, spending on healthcare went up 24.6 percent, spending on hotel surged 37.8 percent and spending on transportation rose 22.8 percent.

Spending on cosmetics, adult education and pre-school training also recorded two-digit growth.