Working From Home Spending Trends: September 2026

Working from home spending trends show WFH households continue to outspend non-WFH households on eating out.

While working from home (WFH) has declined from its COVID-era peak, participation remains well above pre-pandemic levels. According to the ABS, around 36% of Australians now work from home at least some of the time, with the figure exceeding 45% in capital cities.

Our MealPulse survey found that, over the MAT to Sep-26, households with at least one member working from home spent an average of $156 per week eating out, 52% more than households that never worked from home. The difference was most pronounced at breakfast, where WFH households spent 105% more.

CHART: Weekly Household Eat Out Spend by WFH Status Overtime - December 2023 to September 2026 MAT (Working from home spending trends)

There are several possible explanations. Greater flexibility may create more opportunities to purchase coffee, breakfast or lunch locally, while a higher reliance on food delivery services could also contribute to increased spending through delivery fees and premium pricing.

WFH households continue to spend significantly more on eating out than non-WFH households, suggesting that hybrid and remote work arrangements are creating additional foodservice occasions rather than simply shifting where meals are consumed.

CHART: Weekly Household Eat Out Spend by Meal and WFH Status - September 2026 MAT (Working from home spending trends)

Looking for deeper insights into eating-out behaviour? Speak to our team about how MealPulse can help you identify growth opportunities and track changing consumer habits.

Our Food Consumer Insights service has over 15,000 weeks of household food shopping data and 800,000 product purchase records. This can help:

  • Understand basket dynamics – from trip spend and basket size to companion products.
  • Track online grocery performance and measure market share shifts.
  • Leverage 12+ years of historical trends to anticipate consumer behaviour changes.
  • Profile cross shopping patterns to target promotions and retain more first-shop dollars.


Want to see Food Consumer Insights in action? Contact us today or get in touch to book a demo.

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