The table compares the average annual expenditure of university students in three different countries in 2007, with spending divided into five categories: accommodation, food, books, leisure, and other costs.
Overall, students in Country A and Country B spent considerably more each year than those in Country C. In all three countries, accommodation and food accounted for the largest proportions of student expenditure, while the smallest shares were generally allocated to books and other items.
Students in Country A had the highest average spending, at US $5,000 per year, followed closely by those in Country B at $4,500. Accommodation represented the greatest expense in both nations (45% and 35%, respectively), while food took up just over a fifth of total costs. Leisure spending was similar in both countries, at around 22-23%, whereas books and other categories together made up less than one-tenth of total expenditure.
By contrast, students in Country C had a far smaller budget of only $1,500 per year. They spent the highest proportion on food (36%) and a relatively small amount on housing (30%). However, unlike the other countries, a notable 21% of their budget went on books, while spending on leisure and other items was minimal, at 12% and 1% respectively.