It's 2010. And let me record the prices of everyday commodities so that we can track how the prices increase in the years to come. This will help us predict the prices in future. The idea of this list is not to list out the prices of all products, but to list out the prices of a few indicators that can help us predict the price of all products in the same category. This can eventually leads to judge the cost of living in the future.
Let's start with the basic amenities for life -
Food
Note : The prices that follow are approximate.
| S.No | Commodity | Quantity | Price in 2010 (in INR) | Price in 2000 (in INR) |
| 1 | Rice | 1 kg | 38 | 18 |
| 2 | Toor dhal | 1 kg | 60 | 18 |
| 3 | Wheat flour | 1 kg | 24 | 8 |
| 4 | Coconut | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| 5 | Sunflower oil | 1 lit | 55 | 25 |
| 6 | Gingelly oil | 1 lit | 90 |
|
| 7 | Groundnut oil | 1 lit | 80 |
|
| 8 | Milk | 1 lit | 26 (in TN) 18 (in Karnataka) | 15 (in TN) |
| 9 | Curd (Curd-rice fans please note :P) | 1 lit | 26 (in TN) 18 (in Karnataka) | 15 (in TN) |
| 10 | Maggi | 100 g pack | 10 | 5 |
| 11 | Chicken | 1 kg | 120 | 50 |
| 12 | Mutton | 1 kg | 250 | 100 |
| 13 | Egg | 1 | 2.5 | 1.2 |
| 14 | Onions | 1 kg | 20 | 7 |
| 15 | Carrots | 1 kg | 20 | 10 |
| 16 | Apples | 1 kg | 100 | 30 |
| 17 | Domestic Gas (govt subsidised) | 14 kg cyl | 400 |
|
| 18 | Overall food expenses for a family of four for a month (incl of Non-Veg) |
| 6000 | 2000 |
Food (Out of home) :
Note : These prices are at an economic, visibly-hygenic restaurant. :-)
| S.No | Commodity | Quantity | Price in 2010 (in INR) | Price in 2000 (in INR) |
| 1 | A cup of tea | 1 | 5 | 2 – 2.5 |
| 2 | Plain Dosa | 1 | 20 | 7 to 8 |
| 3 | Veg Meals (Unlimited) | 1 | 55 | 25 |
| 4 | Medium-sized pizza at Dominoes | 1 | 150 |
|
| 5 | Cappuchino at a CCD outlet | 1 | 40 |
|
| 6 | Chicken Biriyani | 1 | 70 | 30 |
| 7 | Samosa | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| 8 | Pani puris | 1 plate (7 puris) | 10 | 5 |
| 9 | Commercial Gas | 19 kg cyl | 1100 |
|
| 10 | Food expenses for a bachelor for a month |
| 4000 |
|
Wholesale prices of agriculture products can be found
here. I wish I could find a site that lists the retail prices.
Drinking Water
| S.No | Commodity | Quantity | Price in 2010 (in INR) | Price in 2000 (in INR) |
| 1 | Bottled “Mineral” water | 1 l | 12 | 10 |
| 2 | Canned water | 20 l | 50 | Non-existent |
Clothing
Note : Prices noted by a non-brand-loving miserly shopper.
| S.No | Commodity | Quantity | Price in 2010 (in INR) | Price in 2000 (in INR) |
| 1 | Ready-made shirt | 1 | 350 | 200 |
| 2 | Ready-made trousers | 1 | 650 | 400 |
| 3 | Cloth material for full-sleeve shirt | 1.6 m | 200 |
|
| 4 | Cloth material for trousers | 1.3 m | 250 |
|
| 5 | Tailoring charges for shirts |
| 80 (non-metro) 130 (metro) | 40 (non-metro) |
| 6 | Tailoring charges for trousers |
| 160 (non-metro) | 80 (non-metro) |
| 7 | Shoes |
| 700 | 400 |
Shelter
| S.No | Commodity | Quantity | Price in 2010 (in INR) | Price in 2000 (in INR) |
| 1 | Rent for a 2BHK in 30 x 40 house in a metro |
| 8000 | |
| 2 | Rent for a 2BHK in 30 x 40 house in mysore |
| 5000 | |
| 3 | Rent for a 2BHK in 30 x 40 house in a small town |
| 3000 - 3500 |
|
| 4 | Cost of construction | Per sq. Ft | 1800 (metro) – extra feaures 1400 (metro) – simple 1000 (non-metro) – simple |
|
| 5 | UPS Inverter and Battery | 1 unit | 14500 | Non-existent |
| 6 | Electricity Bill | 2 months | 1000 (non-metro) | 200-300 |
| 7 | Water Bill | 1 month | 200 |
|
Communication
| S.No | Commodity | Quantity | Price in 2010 (in INR) | Price in 2000 (in INR) |
| 1 | Phone Calls |
| 50p Local 1 INR STD | 1.50 Local 2.50 STD |
| 2 | India Post – Ordinary Post |
| 5 – Ordinary 25 – speed post |
|
Travel
| S.No | Commodity | Quantity | Price in 2010 (in INR) | Price in 2000 (in INR) |
| 1 | Petrol | 1 lit | 50 | 35 |
| 2 | Bicycle |
| 3000 (Devil DX variant) 2300 (Atlas Standard) | 1300 (Devil DX) |
| 3 | Bangalore to Chennai Train Ticket |
| 204 Sleeper Class |
|
| 4 | Mysore to Chennai Bus Ticket |
| 350 (500 kms) |
|
| 5 | An economy class bike |
| 55000 (125cc) |
|
| 6 | An entry level car |
| 250000 (Alto) |
|
| 7 | A 15 day trip to Leh, Ladakh in a bike and back. |
| 40000 |
|
Education
| S.No | Commodity | Quantity | Price in 2010 (in INR) | Price in 2000 (in INR) |
| 1 | School Fees for an 8th Grader |
| 25000 (Private School with Bus Fees) |
|
| 2 | School bag |
| 350 |
|
Entertainment
| S.No | Commodity | Quantity | Price in 2010 (in INR) | Price in 2000 (in INR) |
| 1 | TV |
| 7000 (21” CRT) | 11000 (21”CRT) |
| 2 | Cable TV operator Subscription |
| 150 | 100 |
| 3 | Airtel DTH |
| 5 (All channels) | Non-existent |
| 4 | Airtel Broadband 1 Mbps |
| 1400 |
|
| 5 | Movie Ticket |
| 70 (non-metro) 180 (theatre chains metro) | 30 |
Essentials
Note : Not sure which is the best indicator for all FMCG products.
| S.No | Commodity | Quantity | Price in 2010 (in INR) | Price in 2000 (in INR) |
| 1 | Toothpaste | 200 g | 50 |
|
| 2 | Brush |
| 30 |
|
| 3 | Soap | 100 g | 16 |
|
| 4 | Haircut |
| 30 | 15 - 20 |
Misc
| S.No | Commodity | Quantity | Price in 2010 (in INR) | Price in 2000 (in INR) |
| 1 | Least alms accepted without a frown by a beggar |
| 1 | 0.5 |
| 2 | Bicycle Tyre Inflation |
| 2 (for both tyres) | 1 (for both tyres) |
| 3 | Cigarettes |
| 4.5 (Gold Flake Kings) | 3 |
| 4 | Rose with a long stalk |
| 5 | 2 |
Medicines
Note: I don't seem to be able to find a good indicator for the price of medicines
| S.No | Commodity | Quantity | Price in 2010 (in INR) | Price in 2000 (in INR) |
| 1 | Calpol |
| 1 | 0.8 |
| 2 | Dolo 650 |
|
|
|
| 3 | Suprimox |
|
|
|
| 4 | Zandu Balm |
| 15 |
|
| 5 | Blood test |
| 50 |
|
| 6 | Hospital Room Charges | 1 day | 800 |
|
Without doubt, the cost of food is going to increase phenomenally. At 10% inflation, the cost of a kilogram of rice is going to reach 98.56 in 2020. Undoubtedly, the demand will increase. Production has already taken a hit and will continue to do so, thanks to water deficit and adverse climate change. We're in for a food crisis.
I am in the process of calculating the forecasted prices in 2020 of all these amenities at 10% inflation (10% Compound Interest). If I have missed an important indicator for a group of products or if I have got the prices wrong for any of the products, feel free to correct me in the comments. I'd be glad if you could help me fill up the unknown prices for any of these products.
Sorry for being so paranoid. I thought I could have some company ;-)
