The price of living the rural dream? About £3,000 a year
HOUSEHOLDERS in rural areas are spending almost £3,000 a year more on essentials such as groceries and petrol, compared to people living in towns and cities, a study has revealed.
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The cost of goods and services has been rising in rural parts of the country at twice the average national rate, the research showed.
Petrol and liquid fuels are among the goods which have increased the most in 2017 for countryside dwellers, followed by pet food, vehicle repairs and electricity, said heating oil firm BoilerJuice.
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Inflation is now hitting rural households up to 73 per cent harder
Its study also found that rural households spend an extra £80 a year on landline telephone bills, which the research said reflected rural Britain’s poor mobile phone coverage outside urban areas.
BoilerJuice managing director Lee Cowles said: “This year has been tough for country households, seeing severe inflation rates for petrol and liquid fuels.
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“It is so severe that inflation is now hitting rural households up to 73 per cent harder than urban ones because of their reliance on essentials such as petrol, electricity, heating oil and groceries.
“The British countryside is a great place to live but for too many people country life is challenging, particularly for those on lower incomes.”
