Thanks to a survey (pdf) produced by Luxembourg’s central bank (BCL) in cooperation with the research institute Liser, researchers have been able to compile a clearer snapshot of the household finances and consumption habits of cross-border workers.

On the whole, cross-border workers were married or lived together with a partner, they had a high level of education and commuted on average 46 minutes to work. The average household net wealth of cross-border workers in 2014 was €261,900, up 9% from 2010 (€239,900). Their median net wealth, meanwhile, rose by 20% over the same period, from €167,000 to €199,300.

Compared with employed Luxembourg households, cross-border households earned 30% less as a median gross income. This, the report author said, could be partly explained by the fact that around 20% of cross-border household income was not earned in Luxembourg, but in the country in which the household was located.

Cross-border households reported 50% lower net wealth than Luxembourg households, mainly because of the difference in property prices over the border.

When it came to consumption habits, on average cross-border commuters spent a fifth of their household income in Luxembourg, presumably to take advantage of consumer price differences.