Going out or eating in, either way expenditure budgets go up in Bengaluru 

For Bengalureans, eating at home is also getting costlier at the same time when eating outside is also getting more expensive.

 “My family has four adults and a child. We buy two litres of milk every day. With the recent price hike, milk costs me an extra ₹8 per day now. We also buy two-and-a-half kg of coffee powder every month. The cost of coffee powder has gone up from ₹180 to ₹210 for 500 g. Overall, just for coffee and milk our monthly budget is up by around ₹500,” shared Prashanth Kumar, a resident of North Bengaluru.  

With coffee prices touching an all-time high and the recent hike in the price of Karnataka Milk Federation’s (KMF) Nandini milk and curd by ₹4 per litre has increased the household budgets by anywhere between ₹300 and ₹600 in the last few days. This does not withstand the prices of other commodities like a few vegetables and pulses and grains which have also gone up slightly in the last few months. 

“The greatest impact on our house’s budget has been the price of milk. While we do not buy curd every day, milk is essential as we use it in our breakfast regularly. With the recent price hike, we are thinking of reducing its usage and looking for alternatives. Although it has only been a few days since the price hike took effect, we have stopped ordering milk online and going to the store to at least save on delivery charges. Other than this, the price of channa dal and moong dal has also gone up by ₹10 to 15 per kg from last month. The price of beans has also increased to ₹75 - ₹80 per kg this week,” shared Nisarga S.K., a resident of Basavanagudi. 

She added: “Overall, with the vegetable prices also expected to go up in the summer and because of the diesel price hike, we are anticipating at least ₹1,000 increase in our monthly budget. During this year’s Ugadi festival, we paid at least 20% more than what we had paid last year to buy ingredients for the festive feast.” 

For Bengalureans, eating at home is also getting costlier at the same time when eating outside is also getting more expensive. On Sunday, a social media user shared how a two-person breakfast at a popular restaurant chain cost him ₹500. His order included two portions of idli-vada, a coffee, and a glass of orange juice. 

In February, hoteliers in the city decided to hike the price of coffee by 10-15% and some of them also increased the prices of a few food items by the same amount. Further, alcohol, including beer, has become expensive and diners have noticed a 25-30% increase in their bills. 

“The usual restobar order for two people which include one or two appetizers, a main course, a dessert and two beers or cocktails costs no less than ₹2,500 – 3,000 now. Just last year, we were complaining about how there was no way to get a meal and drinks outside without at least shelling out ₹1,500 and now it has almost doubled. Even if we want to buy our own alcohol and eat at home, the budget cannot be less than ₹1,000,” lamented Mayuri Rao, a resident of J.P. Nagar.