The average cost of preparing a thali at home is calculated based on input prices prevailing in north, south, east and west India. The monthly change reflects the impact on the common man’s expenditure. The data also reveals the ingredients (cereals, pulses, broilers, vegetables, spices, edible oil and cooking gas) driving the change in the cost of the thali.

In October 2024, the cost of both home-cooked veg and non-veg thalis increased, CRISIL MI&A Research estimates show.

On-year, the cost of home-cooked veg thali rose 20% and that of non-veg thali, after declining for 12 consecutive months, clocked a 5% increase in October:

• The cost of the veg thali rose due to an increase in the prices of vegetables, which collectively account for ~40% of the thali cost
  
  • In October, prices of onion and potato rose 46% and 51% on-year, respectively, because of lower arrivals due to incessant rainfall in September. Further, rainfall in Maharashtra and Karnataka have delayed onion harvests and cold storage stocks of rabi potato (which accounts for ~95% of annual potato production) are declining due to the season end, while fresh arrivals are slated to begin from Dec-Jan
  • Prices of tomato more than doubled from Rs 29/kg in October 2023 to Rs 64/kg in October 2024 due to September rains that impacted arrivals from states such as Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh due to crop damage and festive demand. However, with supplies from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, the prices are expected to stabilise in November
• Price of pulses, which account for 9% of the veg thali cost, rose 11% due to an 11% lower opening stock, a lower stock pipeline and festive demand. Prices are expected to dip from December once fresh arrivals begin
• An 11% drop in fuel cost – from Rs 903 for a 14.2 kg LPG cylinder in Delhi in September last year to Rs 803 in March this year – prevented further increase in the thali cost
• For the non-veg thali, an estimated decline of 9% on-year in broiler prices that account for 50% of the cost led to relatively slower uptick, while the prices of vegetables, which account for almost 22% of the cost, witnessed an increase

On-month, the cost of both veg and non-veg thalis rose 6% and 4%, respectively

• Tomato prices rose 39% on-month to Rs 64/kg in October amid heavy rainfall in the tomato growing areas, which impacted market arrivals
• Onion prices rose 6% on-month because of incessant rainfall in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, which damaged crops and delayed kharif harvests by 10-15 days
• Vegetable oil prices rose 10% on-month in October on account of increase in import duty coupled with healthy festive demand
• For the non-veg thali, an estimated stable broiler prices on-month helped prevent further uptick in cost