- New data reveals Irish consumers lead Europe in splitting grocery bills, representing 26% of all shared expenses in Ireland
- The data is from tricount wrapped 2025, a year-end recap feature which highlights how European users are splitting and tracking their costs throughout the year
Dublin, 22 January 2026 — The traditional weekly shop has officially overtaken dining out and travel as the primary driver of shared spending in Ireland. tricount by bunq, a global go-to app that automates group expense tracking for nights out, holidays, and housemates has released its Wrapped 2025 report, revealing that shared expenses in Ireland hit €31.4 million last year.
This represents a 55% surge in value, signaling that digital settling up has moved from a holiday habit to a staple of Irish household life. The growth is further evidenced by a 32.6% rise in new Irish tricounts, as couples, housemates, and friends increasingly turn to the app to manage the daily cost of living together.
While shared-expense tools across Europe are typically used for one-off travel and leisure, Ireland stands apart for its focus on essentials. Groceries now account for 26% of all shared expenses in Ireland, making it the most frequently split category.
When compared to other European countries, Irish people are significantly more likely to split the cost of the supermarket run than their neighbours:
The data suggests a slight pivot toward life admin over leisurely splits. While dining & drinks remains a major category at 20.7%, averaging at €37.87 per split, it has seen a slight decrease from 23.3% in 2024.
Meanwhile, transport accounts for 12.5% of shared costs, indicative of the fuel split that compensates the designated driver for their selfless three-hour journey across the country for a long weekend of fun and activities.
Housing remains a high-value burden; while rent and utilities account for just under 4% of the total volume of transactions, the average shared payment has reached €335.58. This figure highlights Ireland’s position as one of the higher-cost European markets for shared living expenses.
Seasonal trends highlight the Irish desire to start the year with a clean slate. December 30th was the busiest day globally for shared costs in the app, with nearly 98,000 tricounts – accounts set up to share costs in the app – as users finalised Christmas spending. Nationally, spikes were also recorded around the May and August bank holidays, as groups organised costs ahead of festivals and long weekends to simplify group expenses, so they could spend less time doing the maths and more quality time enjoying themselves.
“Year after year, we see the same thing: people want to enjoy the moment with the people they love and not spend time worrying about who owes what,” says Joe Wilson, Chief Evangelist at bunq. “Every spend is different, but behind each one there’s a story of friends, couples or housemates choosing to do things in a simple and practical way, so money never overshadows the memories they’re creating together”.