TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's household spending in April edged down a real 0.1 percent from a year earlier, marking the first decline in two months, as consumers cut outlays on home appliances and clothing due partly to rising prices, government data showed Friday.

Households of two or more people spent an average of 325,717 yen ($2,300) in the reporting month, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications said.

By category, expenditures on furniture and home appliances were down 0.4 percent, falling for the first time in two months, as people spent less on durable goods such as air conditioners and refrigerators.

A ministry official said households may have been hesitant to purchase electrical appliances due to rising prices.

Outlays on clothing and footwear dropped 2.1 percent, marking the fourth straight monthly decline, as low temperatures in the reporting month discouraged consumers from buying summer garments, the official said.

Meanwhile, food spending rose for the first time in eight months, climbing 0.3 percent, as previously soaring prices for vegetables such as lettuce and tomatoes began to stabilize, leading people to purchase more.

The data is a key indicator of private consumption, which accounts for more than half of the country's gross domestic product.

The average monthly income of salaried households with at least two people remained unchanged in April from the year before at 589,528 yen, the internal affairs ministry said.