Essential bills for food, heat, light, transport and insurance have soared by 25 per cent in only five years, research reveals.
The increase is four times higher than the rise in salaries over the same period, confirming the longest cost of living squeeze in a century.
The country has been steadily getting poorer since the global financial crisis of 2008 that brought banks to their knees and triggered a new era of austerity.
The biggest price increase was 67 per cent for car insurance, amid the rise of ambulance-chasing lawyers, car hire firms and garages cashing in on crashes.
The price of gas has surged by 52 per cent and electricity by 32 per cent, taking the average annual energy bill to more than £1,300 a year.
More rises are in the pipeline as bill-payers are passed the cost of spending £150billion on the switch to 'green' energy, nuclear power and rebuilding the national grid of cables and pipes.
