Pensioners are forking out more and more for food, health and transport, and statistics show that these are rising faster than inflation.

The pensioner and beneficiary living cost index (PBLCI) rose by 1.9 per cent in the March quarter, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) - that's 0.3 per cent higher than the consumer price index (CPI).
The biggest jumps were in health costs (up by 6.7 per cent), education (5.5 per cent), transport (3.6 per cent) and food (3.3 per cent).
Only clothing and household contents and services were a bit cheaper, going down by 1.1 per cent and 1.3 per cent respectively.
The quarterly figures were part of a bigger trend, with the PBLCI rising by 4.6 per cent in the 12 months prior to March 31, much higher than the CPI's 3.3 per cent.
National Seniors CEO Michael O'Neill said all governments needed to work together to make life easier for pensioners.
"These commodity items are clearly necessities - not something that older Australians can cut back on," Mr O'Neill said in a statement on Monday.
"Today's ABS figures confirm the pressure pensioners and older Australians on fixed incomes are feeling at the moment, and it's not going to get any easier."

Mr O'Neill referred to a 2009 study which showed that one in every 10 Australians aged 55 and over had to sell belongings or take out a loan to cope with rising living expenses.

With electricity prices on the rise, more people will be forced to chew into their savings and make difficult choices about what they can and can't afford, Mr O'Neill said.

He urged governments to provide some quick relief.