Bought lunches, coffee breaks and transport costs gobble more than a third of the average full-time wage

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BOUGHT lunches, transport and other work costs are gobbling more than a third of the average full-time employee's pay, a study says.

Gen Y are the most likely to blow their dough on food, coffee and other drinks during the working week, according to the McCrindle research.

The Paying to Work analysis estimates eating out, updating wardrobes and job skills, travelling to and from work, childcare and tax consumes $26,389 a year.

This is 36 per cent of a $72,426 full-time gross salary.

Workers spend an average $733 a year on lunches, $300 on clothes, $2079 on transport, $2105 on improving skills and knowledge and $6084 on childcare, according to McCrindle calculations. But the biggest cost to workers is paying tax.

Two in three buy lunch, morning teas or coffees at least once a week, while one in five buy every day, the online survey of 560 workers found.

Some shell out more than $100 a week for lunches, morning teas and snacks rather than bringing a sandwich from home.

"Holding down a job can be an expensive business," social researcher Mark McCrindle said.

"While work-related costs are significant, many are lifestyle additions that aren't totally necessary.

"In most cases, the primary motivator for working is not earnings alone, but a sense of contribution, development and social interaction that comes from work."

Eighty per cent of Gen Ys bought food and drinks at least once a week, compared with 69 per cent of Gen Xs and 49 per cent of Baby Boomers, the research found.

Mr McCrindle said many young people valued the lifestyle and social aspects of the workplace and lunch breaks.

Many were also turned off by the organisation needed to prepare and bring lunch from home, preferring to trade money for time.