Average Canadians spent $53,000 in 2010 OTTAWA, April 25 (UPI) -- The average Canadian household spent an average of $53,000 in 2010, with the largest expenditure being for housing, Statistics Canada reported Wednesday. "Canadian households spent an average of $14,997 on shelter in 2010," the annual report said. Homeowners spent an average of $17,026, while renters spent about two-thirds of this amount, or $10,874. The second highest average expenditure was for transportation, which accounted for 20.7 percent of spending. Food cost was third at 14 percent of total outlay. "Spending on clothing represented 6.5 percent of the total, healthcare, 4.1 percent, and communications, 3.3 percent," StatsCan said. By province, the average of total household spending on goods and services was highest in Alberta at $61,134 and lowest in Prince Edward Island at $44,856, the report said. "On average, couples with children spent $74,126 on goods and services, the highest total of all household types," the agency said. The lowest spending was for one-person households, at $30,563.