Germans have been spending more money on transport than on food stuffs, the German statistical office said on Thursday. Between 1998 and 2003 14.4 percent of total outgoings went to transport compared to 14 percent on food. Transport expenditure came second only to accommodation, something that ate up an average 32.5 percent of household costs. The fact that transport costs increased by 10 percent in five years came down mainly to an increase in the price of gasoline. In addition, energy costs have risen steeply -- the average household spent €200 ($266) per month on heating and electricity in 2003, as opposed to €160 per month in 1998 (adjusted for inflation). The sharpest percentage increase in the household budget came from communications, at 30 percent in the 1998-2003 period, and this even when the price for telecom services had fallen by 26 percent.