Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam’s southeastern region leads the way in average monthly expenditure per capita, with residents spending about 3.9 million VND (nearly 168.9 USD) each month on average, according to the preliminary findings from a newly-released survey by the General Statistics Office (GSO).

The 2020 survey on Vietnam’s household living standards revealed that the northern midlands and mountainous region had the lowest expenditure per capita, at 2.1 million VND per month, up 5 percent since 2018. The figure surged 17.3 percent in the southeast.

The national average was 2.89 million VND last year, up 13 percent against 2018. Of this, living costs accounted for the majority, or 2.7 million VND per capita per month, of which food and non-food expenses averaged 1.69 million VND and 1.2 million VND, respectively, per month.

The average monthly consumption of rice fell to 7.6 kg per person in 2020 from 8.1 kg in 2018 and 9.7 kg in 2010. Conversely, the monthly consumption of meat increased to 2.3 kg per person last year from 1.8 kg per person in 2010.

The survey also found that 97.4 percent of households had access to clean water last year, up 6.9 percentage points from a decade ago. The rate in rural areas was 8.8 percentage points higher than in the 2010s. The increase was particularly high in the Mekong Delta (up 15.9 percentage points) and the Central Highlands (13.9 percentage points).

The percentage of households using electricity stood at 99.5 percent in 2020 compared to 97.2 percent in 2010. There was no significant difference between the rates in urban and rural areas or between regions./.