People in Istanbul spend the most on housing while the rest of Turkey spends the most on food and beverages, a Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat) survey has found.

The TurkStat data on household expenditures revealed yesterday that Istanbul, Turkey's most populated city, was responsible for one-fourth of the country's total consumption expenditure last year. It was followed by the Aegean and Mediterranean region.

Istanbul also spent the most - at a rate of 30.7 percent - on housing. In comparison, the eastern Black Sea region in Turkey's north spent the least.

The central eastern Anatolia region spent the most on food and non-alcoholic beverages, at a rate of 27.1 percent. Istanbul, on the other hand, spent the least in the same category.

Households in the Mediterranean region in the south spent most on transportation, at 20.3 percent, the survey also showed.