The cost of preparing a home-cooked meal in India increased in September, with rising prices of onions, edible oil and LPG pushing up the cost of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis, according to Crisil Intelligence's monthly Roti Rice Rate (RRR) indicator. The cost of a vegetarian thali rose to ₹30.8 in September from ₹28.1 a year earlier, marking a 10% increase. The non-vegetarian thali also became more expensive, rising to ₹59.5 from ₹56 during the same period, a 6% annual increase.

The figures point to continued pressure on household food budgets as the prices of several commonly used ingredients remained elevated. Crisil Intelligence said food costs stayed high because of tightening supplies of key staples and higher input expenses, which affected the cost of preparing meals at home. The monthly indicator provides an indication of how changes in the prices of essential food items and cooking inputs are translating into the cost of a representative Indian home-cooked meal.

The increase was also visible on a month-on-month basis, with the vegetarian thali becoming 4% costlier in September and the non-vegetarian thali rising 3%. Crisil Intelligence Director Pushan Sharma said the annual increases reflected elevated food costs amid tighter supplies of important staples and higher input costs. “The cost of home-cooked vegetarian (veg) and non-vegetarian (non-veg) thalis rose 10% and 6% on-year, respectively, in September,” Sharma said.

The monthly increase suggests that the pressure was not limited to the comparison with last year but also continued from the previous month. For households, changes in the prices of individual ingredients can have a direct effect on the total amount spent on preparing meals, particularly when several major components become more expensive at the same time. The rise in the cost of the vegetarian thali was particularly notable because staples such as vegetables, cooking oil and onions form a significant part of everyday home cooking.

Onion prices emerged as one of the major drivers of the increase. According to the Crisil report, onion prices jumped 89% year-on-year to ₹53 per kg in September from ₹28 per kg a year earlier. Onions are widely used as a base ingredient in Indian cooking and feature in a broad range of preparations, including vegetable dishes, dals, gravies and other accompaniments commonly served with rice or roti. Such a sharp increase therefore has a wider effect on household cooking costs than the price movement of a less frequently used ingredient.

The increase in onion prices also contributed to the month-on-month rise in the vegetarian thali cost. When combined with higher prices of other cooking inputs, the increase in onions added to the overall expense of preparing a standard meal at home. The trend illustrates how volatility in the prices of individual agricultural commodities can quickly influence household food expenditure.

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Edible oil was another factor behind the increase in home-cooked meal costs. Cooking oil is used extensively in Indian households and is an essential component of preparing many everyday dishes. Higher edible oil prices can therefore affect the cost of several items within a single meal rather than only one particular dish. Alongside food ingredients, LPG prices and other cooking-related expenses also influence the final cost of preparing a meal at home. The combined effect of these inputs can become significant when prices rise simultaneously.

Crisil's assessment indicates that the increase in thali costs was driven by a combination of food-price pressures rather than by one commodity alone. For households that prepare most meals at home, sustained increases in essential ingredients and cooking expenses can gradually raise monthly food bills, even when the increase in the cost of any single meal appears relatively small.

The impact was also reflected in the non-vegetarian thali, although its annual increase was lower than that of the vegetarian meal. The cost of a non-vegetarian thali reached ₹59.5 in September, compared with ₹56 a year earlier, representing a 6% year-on-year rise. On a monthly basis, its cost increased 3%. The difference between the annual increases in the two categories shows that price movements across individual ingredients do not affect every type of meal in the same way.

The vegetarian thali recorded a larger annual increase, partly reflecting the sharp rise in onion prices and the effect of other ingredients and cooking inputs. The non-vegetarian thali is influenced by a different combination of food components, including the cost of the protein component as well as common staples and cooking expenses. Crisil's RRR indicator tracks the cost of preparing representative home-cooked meals and provides a monthly measure of changes in household food preparation costs.

The September figures underline the sensitivity of household cooking expenses to changes in essential commodity prices. Onions, edible oil and LPG are widely used or required in the preparation of everyday meals, meaning that increases in their prices can affect households across different consumption patterns. The 10% annual increase in the vegetarian thali cost and the 6% rise in the non-vegetarian thali indicate that food preparation remained under price pressure during the month. The monthly increases of 4% and 3%, respectively, further show that costs were still moving higher compared with the previous month.

While the RRR indicator measures the cost of representative home-cooked meals rather than the complete food expenditure of individual households, it offers a snapshot of how commodity price movements can affect everyday cooking costs. With supplies of key staples, agricultural prices and input expenses continuing to influence food costs, changes in essential commodities will remain an important factor for household budgets and overall food-price trends.

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