Archive · 14 Aug 2026
Gen Z India Spends Just 5% on Travel: Study
A company called SalarySe looked at millions of phone payment records from young workers in India.
These young people are part of a generation called Gen Z. Many people think Gen Z loves spending money on travel and fun experiences.
But the study found they actually spend most of their money on everyday things.
Only 5% of their monthly spending goes to travel.
Bills and subscriptions take the biggest slice, at about 20%.
Groceries, financial services, shopping, and food come next.
Together, these everyday costs use up more than 70% of their money.
Older Gen Z members spend more on essentials than younger ones.
The study shows that young Indians mostly manage their money through digital apps and automatic payments.
A SalarySe study of millions of UPI transactions involving over 5.2 lakh salaried Gen Z users found travel accounts for just 5% of monthly spending.
Bills and subscriptions lead Gen Z spending at 20.1%, followed by groceries (15.7%), financial services (12.2%), shopping (11.9%) and food (11.5%).
The top five everyday categories together account for more than 70% of monthly spending.
Among entertainment subscriptions, JioHotstar has the largest share (12.4%), ahead of Netflix (10.7%) and Spotify (5.6%).
Discretionary spending stayed at 32% for both the 18-23 and 24-29 age groups, while essential spending rose from 50% to 59% with age.
- Who
- India's salaried Gen Z (ages 18-29), studied by SalarySe; Piyush Bagaria, Co-founder of SalarySe, commented on the findings.
- What
- A study of UPI transactions found Gen Z spends only 5% of monthly spending on travel, with bills, groceries and other essentials dominating their budgets.
- When
- Not specified in the article.
- Where
- India.
- Why
- The study challenges the popular image of Gen Z as a lifestyle-first generation, showing everyday needs and recurring payments drive their spending.
Popular Stereotype
Study Findings
Gen Z spending priorities
Popular Stereotype
Gen Z is a lifestyle-first generation that prioritizes experiences, travel and all things digital.
Study Findings
SalarySe's data shows everyday essentials and bills dominate, with travel at just 5% of monthly spending.
- Study conducted by
- SalarySe
- Data analyzed
- Millions of UPI transactions from more than 5.2 lakh salaried Gen Z users
- Travel's share of spending
- 5%
- Largest spending category
- Bills and subscriptions (20.1%)
- Other top categories
- Groceries 15.7%, financial services 12.2%, shopping 11.9%, food 11.5%
- Top entertainment subscriptions
- JioHotstar 12.4%, Netflix 10.7%, Spotify 5.6%
- Essential spending by age
- 50% for ages 18-23; 59% for ages 24-29
- Discretionary spending
- 32% for both age groups