The average British worker spends £205 a month on work-related expenses, including lunch, commuting and stationary, which comes to £2,460 a year, according to a study from job site CV-Library.

The survey of 1,000 workers sought to determine how much the average professional spends on work-related expenses each year, and where their money is going.

Professionals were asked to reveal the work-related costs they pay out each month with commuting/travel topped the list (78.1%), followed by lunch (73.1%), morning coffee (25.5%), socialising with colleagues (17.1%) and stationary (13.1%).

The data also found that 70.5% of workers believe that employers should pay for some, if not all, work-related costs.

“As an employer, it can be tricky to draw the line between what you should and shouldn’t be funding,” Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library, said. “While there will always be some costs that are unavoidable for employees, it’s important that you’re not expecting them to fork out for basic necessities that your business should be providing.”

“It’s understandable that professionals want their employers to cover some of these costs, particularly when it comes to essentials such as travel and stationary,” Biggins said. “However, if you’re offering a competitive enough salary, this should cover a number of these expenses any way. So ensure that you’re providing staff with fair pay.”

“It can also be helpful to offer money-saving benefits and perks that will support your employees in keeping the costs down. For example, you could offer discounts on travel or allow staff to work from home a few days a week to cut the costs of their commute,” Biggins said.

The data also found that while 80% are careful to factor these expenses into their monthly budget, some cities are more expensive to work in than others.

The top five most expensive cities to work in include: London - £425 a month (equivalent to £5,100 a year), Bristol - £360 a month (equivalent to £4,320 a year), Brighton - £350 a month (equivalent to £4,200 a year), Cardiff - £305 a month (equivalent to £3,660 a year) and Leeds – £294 a month (equivalent to £3,528 a year).