Cost of veg and non-veg thalis down? Crisil report finds 6% YoY decline in May due to drop in vegetable, chicken prices

Cooking vegetarian and non-vegetarian thalis at home got less expensive in May 2025, compared to the previous year, according to a report by Crisil, which noted that drops in vegetable and chicken prices impacted both meals.

The cost of preparing a home-cooked vegetarian and non-vegetarian meal dropped by around 6 per cent each year-on-year (YoY), as prices of onions, tomato, potatoes and broiler chicken fell, the analysis title ‘Roti Rice Rate’ found.

On-month basis, non-veg thali was cheaper while veg thali price was stable, it added.

The analysis defined a veg thali as comprising “roti, vegetables (onion, tomato and potato), rice, dal, curd and salad”; and a non-veg thali as having the “same elements, except dal, which is replaced by chicken (broiler)”.

Sharp drop in vegetable prices YoY

According to the report, prices of key vegetables in Indian cooking, led to decline in thali costs. It noted that:

• Tomato prices reduced by 29 per cent to ₹23 per kg in May 2025, compared to ₹33/kg in May 2024.
• Further, the prices of onion and potato dropped by 15 per cent and 16 per cent, respectively, compared to last year, when crop damage, unseasonal rainfall and lower yields due to water shortage in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka shot up demand and prices.
• Besides vegetables, the cost of broiler chicken also dropped 6 per cent, giving non-veg eater a similar relief in prices. Prices dropped due to oversupply after demand dropped due to bird flu reports in parts of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Telangana, it added.
• The report also noted that a 19 per cent YoY increase in cost of vegetable oil (due to import duty), and 6 per cent YoY jump in LPG cylinder prices, prevented a steeper fall in thali costs.

What about month-on-month costs?

• On a month-on-month basis, the cost of a vegetarian thali remained stable, while that of non-vegetarian thali reduced 2 per cent in May 2025, the analysis said.
• It noted that in May 2025, prices of potato and tomato rose 3 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively, compared to April; while onion prices shed 10 per cent — helping to keep total cost unchanged.
• In terms of broiler chicken, prices declined by an estimated 4 per cent month-on-month making non-vegetarian thali cost cheaper in May compared to April 2025.