India
Bengaluru Family Spends Up to ₹80,000 Monthly on Home‑Cooked Meals, Sparks Online Debate
A Bengaluru resident, Ramsri Goutham Golla, posted that his family of two adults and two young children spends between ₹60,000 and ₹80,000 each month on groceries and food, despite cooking all meals at home and eating meat only twice a week. The post prompted comments from users across India, many of whom shared their own monthly food budgets. Some agreed that rising food prices justify the high cost, while others questioned whether the figure was unusually high for a family of four.
Golla explained that eggs alone cost about ₹3,000 a month, as the family consumes roughly ten eggs daily. Milk adds another ₹2,000 to ₹3,000, and meat purchased twice a week costs approximately ₹6,000 to ₹8,000. He also listed other staples such as dosa and idli batter (₹2,000–₹3,000), rice, fruits, vegetables, cooking oil, tea powder, dry fruits and nuts. He noted that rice costs around ₹80 per kilogram, while fruits can range from ₹200 to ₹400 or more per kilogram.
Responding to the post, users from Hyderabad, Mumbai and other cities shared their own grocery expenditures. One Mumbai user reported spending about ₹50,000 a month for a household of four adults and a dog, while another claimed a premium budget for four people in a major city would typically be around ₹25,000 to ₹30,000. A commenter from an unnamed city said they spend only ₹15,000 a month for a family of four, including daily meat, fish, eggs, fruits, nuts and vegetables.
The discussion highlighted how factors such as family size, dietary preferences, shopping habits and city cost of living can influence a household’s food budget. While Golla’s figures reflect his personal experience, they are not representative of an average grocery expense.
The conversation has led many social media users to re‑examine their own spending on food and to share strategies for managing monthly grocery costs. Golla’s question, “How is everyone surviving?” has become a starting point for a broader discussion about the cost of feeding a family in India today.