Families face huge costs to roll out the festivities this Christmas with the special season now costing on average over £1,800.

People now spend on average £64.60 on their turkey, £30.30 on Christmas decorations and £278.50 on gifts for family and friends, racking up a bill of £373.40.

MoneySuperMarket put together a list of common items people buy for Christmas, and based on a poll found Britons face a total average bill for £1,811.70. This is almost triple what people paid 30 years ago in real terms.

The amount people are spending on turkey has increased by almost £30 in real terms compared to 30 years ago while a bottle of champagne now costs £35, compared to just £7.99 in 1993.

Even the costs of sending Christmas cards has shot up, with the price of a first class stamp going up from 25p in 1993 to £1.25 today.

The poll found these are the average costs families now face for their Christmas items:

• Festive drinks – £79.30
• Accommodation – £145.40
• Travel expenses – 126.30
• Groceries – £123.80
• Turkey – £64.60
• Meals/drinks – £113.00
• Christmas activities – £108.40
• Christmas clothing – £100.80
• Batteries – £17.20
• Christmas spruce-up – £87.10
• Extended warranties – £32.20
• Pet care or boarding – £117.40
• Energy bills and heating – £52.20
• Gadget insurance – £38.20
• Travel insurance – £35.60
• Work Christmas party expenses – £35.50
• Charitable donations – £32.20
• Gifts for family and friends – £278.50
• Christmas cards and postage – £21.80
• Christmas tree, ornaments, home decorations and lighting – £30.30
• Gifts and tips for service workers – £29.70
• Contracts or data plans – £30.60
• Wrapping paper, gift tags and tape – £17.20
• Gifts for yourself – £94.40

Total – 1,811.70

£38.20 £35.60 £35.50 £32.20 £278.50 £21.80 £30.30 £29.70 £30.60 £17.20 £94.40

Lis Blair, chief customer officer at MoneySuperMarket, said “It’s the most wonderful time of the year and the most costly. This Christmas edition of the Household Money Index highlights how the costs of the festive season add up. Some of these, like mobile data plans and insurance for new gadgets, will last all year – so compare to find the best deals.

“We’ve spent 30 years helping the UK to switch and save serious money on their household bills. As well as saving on their bills, when our customers buy qualifying products they become members of our SuperSaveClub.

“This gives them unlimited access to free days out, worth £160; cash rewards for each qualifying purchase, worth up to over £80 a year; as well as discount codes and more.”

Comparing different parts of the UK, Manchester was found to be the area that spends the most on Christmas, at £2,274.80 per household.

Birmingham spent the second most on Christmas, at £1,995.70 per household while people in Southampton splash out £1,961 on the festivities.

People in Brighton spend the least on Christmas, at just £1,059.30 per household. The coastal city also spends the least on turkey, at just £23.30 on average.

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