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Alongside stationery and clothing, digital devices are accounting for an increasingly significant share of spending. Most families make their purchases in August, typically buying stationery and clothing in physical stores, while online channels play a larger role in purchases of electronic devices.
Stationery remains the most common purchase category, with 76.1% of families with school-age children buying notebooks, pens or other school supplies. Clothing and sports equipment are purchased by 56.9%, while 44.2% spend on other school equipment.
Fewer families plan to buy technology products this year, as such devices tend to last several years, but these purchases represent a significantly larger expense. Some 10.1% of families with children plan to buy a laptop or computer specifically for the start of the school year, while 6% plan to purchase a tablet, 3.8% a printer and 2.4% a mobile phone.
Average total back-to-school spending per child stands at HUF 70,055 for primary school pupils in lower grades, HUF 69,282 for those in upper grades, HUF 62,532 for secondary school students and HUF 80,795 for students in higher education.
Among families also purchasing electronic devices, spending rises to an average HUF 114,486 for younger primary school pupils, HUF 96,068 for older primary school pupils, HUF 83,465 for secondary school students and HUF 193,251 for university students.
“The digitalization of education is now clearly reflected in household spending as well. Although most people continue to buy school supplies and clothing, technology represents the largest expense,” said Szabolcs Timár, head of the PwC research.
“Particularly in the case of secondary school and higher education students, it is important that the digital infrastructure required for learning is available,” he added.
Mobile phones are already owned by 75.5% of schoolchildren and students in higher education, while 61.9% have a laptop and 45.1% a tablet. Desktop computers are used by 31.5%, printers by 33.6% and smartwatches by 18.4%.
PwC said the high level of existing device ownership may explain why only a relatively small share of families are buying new equipment for the start of the school year. Among those not purchasing technology products, 47.7% said their current devices were adequate.
Artificial intelligence is also becoming part of the learning environment. Some 15% of households use paid AI services, while another 48.6% use free solutions. In 31.4% of respondents’ households, AI tools are not used at all.
Among families using AI, 74.2% said children primarily use it to search for information. Some 52.2% use AI to explain learning materials, 46.6% for brainstorming and 39.4% to support homework.
Back-to-school purchases are heavily concentrated in August, when 61.1% of families buy the products they need. Another 15.1% begin shopping in July, while only 9.9% leave major purchases until September.
Nearly one-quarter of parents, or 24.2%, do not complete their back-to-school shopping in a single trip but instead purchase necessary products and equipment gradually.
Physical stores continue to dominate despite the widespread use of online channels. Some 32% of parents shop exclusively in stores, while just 3.3% make all of their purchases online. At the same time, 68% of families use online channels in some form.
For stationery in particular, in-person shopping remains important, with 62.8% of parents preferring to select products in stores. Nearly half said it remains important to see and handle products before buying them.
“Online and in-store shopping are no longer competitors, but complementary channels,” said Ildikó Cserjés-Kopándi, an expert at PwC.
“Because of price sensitivity, many people search online for the best offers, while in the case of school supplies and equipment, the personal experience of seeing the products remains important, as does, in many cases, the experience of shopping together with the child,” she added.
Lower prices are the main advantage of online shopping, cited by 41.8% of respondents, while 27.1% highlighted easier price comparisons. Among those buying school supplies, 25% mentioned Allegro as a source, while Tesco Online was cited by 20%, and Temu and eMAG by 19% each.
A total of 51.3% of families plan to spend roughly the same amount on this year’s school start as last year. Some 18.1% intend to reduce spending, while 12.5% expect to increase it.
Those planning to spend less mainly said previously purchased equipment was still usable. Among those expecting higher costs, inflation and price increases were the main reasons.
New products continue to dominate despite growing sustainability considerations. Some 47.7% of families buy nearly all necessary items new, while just 1.7% deliberately seek secondhand or refurbished products for financial reasons.
Awareness of back-to-school support is high, with 91.6% of parents having heard of the measure, but only 20.5% plan to use it this year.
PwC said 59% of respondents believed they were not eligible, while another 12.1% were unsure whether they qualified. Just 8.4% had not heard of the support at all.
The HUF 100,000-per-child back-to-school support introduced in 2026 is not available to every family. According to government information cited by PwC, the program could cover around 400,000 children, primarily those in families in greater need or in special circumstances.
The research also indicated that eligibility conditions remain unclear for some parents, with roughly one in eight uncertain whether they qualify.
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