The cost of several everyday kitchen essentials has increased significantly across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, putting additional pressure on household budgets. Recent retail price data shows sharp increases in commodities including sunflower oil, coriander, rice, milk and sugar, although prices of some other staples have moved in the opposite direction.
The analysis is based on retail price data collected by the Price Monitoring Division of the Department of Consumer Affairs on August 18 in 2024, 2025 and 2026. Kerala has been included only for commodities where comparable data is available.
Sunflower Oil Sees Sharpest Rise
Among the commodities tracked, sunflower oil recorded the largest increase between 2024 and 2026.
In Telangana, the price increased from ₹110.50 per kg in August 2024 to ₹192.73 in 2026, representing a 74.4% rise. Karnataka recorded a 68.1% increase, while Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh saw increases of 67.3% and 63.4%, respectively.
However, the longer-term picture is different. Prices in 2022 were already relatively high before falling in 2024 and subsequently rising again.
Coriander Prices Surge
Coriander has also witnessed a substantial increase. Tamil Nadu recorded the sharpest rise among the four states, with prices climbing from ₹23.82 per kg in 2024 to ₹46.11 in 2026 — a 93.6% increase.
Andhra Pradesh recorded a 76.7% increase, while Telangana saw prices rise 72.2%. Karnataka registered a comparatively lower increase of 28.7%.
Rice, Milk and Sugar Become Costlier
Over the five-year period from August 2022 to August 2026, rice prices increased in all four southern states with comparable data.
Telangana recorded the highest increase at 37.9%, followed by Karnataka at 27.9%, Tamil Nadu at 24.4% and Andhra Pradesh at 8.7%.
Milk prices have also risen over five years. Karnataka recorded a 19.5% increase, while Telangana saw an 18.3% rise. Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu registered increases of 8.1% and 6.9%, respectively.
Sugar prices followed a similar upward trend, with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu recording increases of more than 30% between 2022 and 2026.
