A Hyderabad-based entrepreneur has sparked a debate on consumption and cost of living by claiming that he spends between ₹ 60,000 to 80,000 per month on groceries for a family of four. Ramsri Goutham Golla made the claim in an X post that has gone viral with half a million views and hundreds of comments.
Golla claimed that his grocery and food bill is unusually high despite the fact that everything is cooked at home. Food accounts for less than half of an average household’s total monthly spending in both rural and urban India. Beverages, refreshments, and processed food take the largest chunk of the food budget in both rural and urban areas, followed by milk/milk products and vegetables. “80K for home-cooked food? Are you importing your groceries directly from Italy?” one person questioned. “People aren’t agreeing with him but he seems right. I made a food routine for my father and it costs around 20k per month. Food is expensive if you want to eat nutritiously in this country,” another pointed out.
According to the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2023–24 report released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the average householding monthly spending in Urban India is ₹ 6,996 per person per month. For a family of four, it can easily lie in the 60-80k.
“Groceries and food cost ₹ 60K– ₹ 80K a month for us with 2 adults and 2 young kids, with everything cooked at home and meat twice a week!” said the Hyderabad -based entrepreneur and data scientist. “How is everyone surviving?” he wondered. “ ₹ 60K– ₹ 80K a month on groceries and food sounds quite high to me, especially when household expenses can be managed with a little planning,” wrote one X user.
