URBAN AND RURAL CONSUMPTION PATTERN – CONVERGENCE OR DIVERGENCE? DELIBERATIONS AGAINST SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The aim of this study is to identify rural and urban patterns of consumption expenditure and to evaluate whether convergence occurs between them. The results based on Household Budget Surveys data from the years 2006-2015 prove that the rural consumption pattern is less sustainable compared with the urban one and that they are akin to each other. The value of expenditure on higher needs (restaurants and hotels, leisure and culture) in rural households grows faster than in urban households, which proves some convergence between them.