Wondering why your grocery bill felt a little lighter in March, you’re not imagining it or at least partly. According to Crisil’s latest “Roti Rice Rate” report, the cost of cooking a basic meal at home has become slightly cheaper for non-vegetarians but remained largely stable for vegetarians. But beneath that stability, there’s a lot of movement in everyday ingredients that directly affect your kitchen budget.
What became cheaper in your kitchen
Several everyday staples turned more affordable, the report said. Onions saw a sharp 25% drop in prices compared to last year, largely due to excess supply and weak exports. Potatoes were down 13%, while pulses became 6% cheaper because of higher stock availability, the report said.
For many households, these are daily essentials, so the decline would have eased the pressure on routine grocery spending. Even compared to February, prices of onions, tomatoes and potatoes declined because of better supply and lower demand.
What became more expensive
But not everything is getting cheaper. Tomato prices have jumped sharply, up 33% year-on-year to Rs 28 per kg. According to the report, this is due to delayed crop cycles in key producing states like Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
At the same time, cooking oil prices have risen 6%, and LPG cylinder prices are up 14%, both driven by global supply disruptions. These increases have offset the benefits of cheaper vegetables, keeping the overall veg thali cost flat.
Veg thali steady, non-veg slightly cheaper
For households cooking at home, a vegetarian thali costs roughly the same as last year, while a non-vegetarian thali became about 1% cheaper in March, as per the report. This means that while you may not be paying significantly more overall, the mix of items in your kitchen bill has shifted.
On a year-on-year basis, both veg and non-veg thalis actually became cheaper, falling 3% and 2% respectively.
Why non-veg meals got cheaper
For non-vegetarian households, the slight dip in cost is largely thanks to chicken prices. Broiler prices, which make up about half the cost of a non-veg thali, declined around 2% year-on-year, the report mentioned.
Additionally, demand softened in March due to Navratri, when many consumers avoid non-vegetarian food. This also led to a dip in price because the demand was less, the report noted.
The takeaway for households
Staples like onions, potatoes and pulses are offering relief, but rising costs of tomatoes, cooking oil and fuel are quietly eating into those savings. So, your overall food bill may not have changed much, but separately, all of them have.