The average teenager sets their parents back €7,326 a year – or €50,653 between the ages of 13 -19, it has been revealed. Researchers found that parents will have to fork out more than €600 every month their teenager is living under their roof, in order to keep up with their appetite, TV viewing, gaming hobby and phone usage.

And food and drink alone accounts for more than €3,582 each year – almost half of the total amount.

Train and bus fares, fuel to ferry them around town and phone bills also add to the staggering figure.

It also emerged that six in ten parents face rows with their teenage offspring, thanks to the amount of cash they need to spend to keep up with them. 

The study of 1,000 parents of teenagers, found that an average of almost €70 a week – €3,641 per year – is spent keeping the kitchen cupboards stocked with enough food and drink for their growing, adolescent offspring. 

More than two thirds of parents even said their teenager easily eats more than anyone else in the house, with 65% admitting they struggle to keep up with the cost of their appetite.

Most parents admitted they struggled to keep up with the cost of a teenager's appetite

Constantly watching TV, playing computer games and leaving lights on means €27 of the monthly utility bill can be blamed on the teens in the house, while talking on the telephone to friends for hours means another €23 a month is splashed out on the bill.

A monthly total of €27 is handed over to cover train, bus and taxi fares, while parents will also spend €30 on fuel to ferry the youngsters around.

Teens will also need €24 a month to cover fees for sports clubs and hobbies, as well as €189 per year for school or college trips. 

Buying toiletries for them accounts for another €13 each month, while money towards nights out amounts to a monthly total of €26. 

Parents will also hand their teenagers €25 a month in pocket money, and lend them a further €24 on top. 

Over the course of a year, cash-strapped parents will spend €176 on gadgets for their young adults, as well as €117 on music, DVDs and games and €247 on clothes and shoes. 

A further €244 is put towards their young adult’s annual holidays.

On top of that, 24% then put a further €648 towards driving lessons, car and insurance costs, along with another €18 a month towards their petrol costs. 

In response to this, more than one in ten parents gets their teenager to contribute some cash towards their living costs, and another 43% plan to ask them as soon as they get a job or earn enough money. 

And seven in ten cash-strapped parents are looking forward to their bills going down once their young adults fly the nest.