Synopsis: South India’s kitchen staples have taken different price paths. Sunflower oil and coriander rose sharply between 2024 and 2026, while rice, milk, and sugar increased over five years. Tur dal, red chilli and turmeric fell from 2024 levels, showing that household food costs have not moved uniformly across commodities.
Retail prices of common kitchen staples have moved in different directions across southern India over the past two years. Sunflower oil and coriander have climbed, while tur dal (split pigeon peas), red chilli and turmeric have fallen. Sugar has also risen, while salt has moved differently from state to state.
South First analysed retail price data from the Price Monitoring Division of the Department of Consumer Affairs, recorded on 18 August in 2024, 2025 and 2026, across Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Telangana. Keralam does not have comparable entries for every year, so it is included only where the data allows.
The three-year data shows sharp movements in the prices of some commodities. The five-year comparison, using August 2022 as the starting point, shows that rice, milk and sugar have also become costlier.
In Telangana, the price rose from ₹110.50 a kg in August 2024 to ₹192.73 in August 2026 (74.4% increase). Karnataka went from ₹114.38 to ₹192.25 (68.1%), Tamil Nadu from ₹115.71 to ₹193.58 (67.3%), and Andhra Pradesh from ₹115.50 to ₹188.67 (63.4%).
Across these four states, the average price moved from about ₹114 a kg in 2024 to ₹159 in 2025 and ₹192 in 2026.
Keralam has no comparable 2024 observation in the dataset. Its price rose from ₹169.29 a kg in 2025 to ₹202.43 in 2026 (19.6%).
But the five-year comparison tells a different story.
In August 2022, sunflower oil cost ₹174.50 a kg in Andhra Pradesh. By 2026, it was ₹188.67 (8.1% increase). Karnataka went from ₹175.17 to ₹192.25 (9.8%), Tamil Nadu from ₹182.22 to ₹193.58 (6.2%), and Telangana from ₹179 to ₹192.73 (7.7%).
Prices were higher in 2022, then fell in 2024 before rising again. The sharp movement since 2024 therefore includes a recovery from the lower 2024 prices.
In Tamil Nadu, the price rose from ₹23.82/kg to ₹46.11 (93.6% increase). Andhra Pradesh went from ₹20.33 to ₹35.93 (76.7%), Telangana from ₹25.50 to ₹43.91 (72.2%), and Karnataka from ₹31.38 to ₹40.38 (28.7%).
The four-state average rose from about ₹25 a kg in 2024 to ₹36 in 2025 and ₹42 in 2026.
Most of the increase came in the first year. The average price rose 41.9% between 2024 and 2025, before increasing another 16% between 2025 and 2026.
Keralam’s coriander price rose from ₹32.57/kg in 2025 to ₹50.50/kg in 2026 (55.0%).
Coriander cannot be compared over five years using this dataset because comparable state-level observations are not available for 2022 and 2023.
Between August 2022 and August 2026, the price in Karnataka rose from ₹40.25/kg to ₹53.34/kg (32.5% increase). Tamil Nadu went from ₹40.11 to ₹53.58 (33.6%), Andhra Pradesh from ₹41.00 to ₹49.00 (19.5%), and Telangana from ₹39.79 to ₹45.00 (13.1%).
The increase continued between 2024 and 2026. Karnataka went from ₹43.37 a kg to ₹53.34 (23.0%), Tamil Nadu from ₹44.28 to ₹53.58 (21.0%), Andhra Pradesh from ₹43.50 to ₹49.00 (12.6%), and Telangana from ₹40.50 to ₹45.00 (11.1%).
Much of the recent increase came in 2026. Across the four states, the average price moved from ₹44.18 a kg in 2025 to ₹50.23 in 2026.
Keralam’s sugar price went from ₹42.58 a kg in 2023 to ₹46.07 in 2025 and ₹55.57 in 2026.
In Andhra Pradesh, the price rose from ₹114.50 a kg in 2022 to ₹166.25 in 2024. It then fell to ₹117 in 2026 (29.6% below the 2024 price).
Karnataka went from ₹112.58 in 2022 to ₹163.86 in 2024 and then to ₹121 in 2026 (26.2% below 2024).
Tamil Nadu went from ₹121.78 in 2022 to ₹172.89 in 2024 and then to ₹131.31 in 2026 (24.0% below 2024).
Telangana went from ₹99.20 in 2022 to ₹163.50 in 2024 and then to ₹124.73 in 2026 (23.7% below 2024).
The five-year comparison gives another picture. Andhra Pradesh went from ₹114.50 in 2022 to ₹117 in 2026 (2.2% increase), Karnataka from ₹112.58 to ₹121 (7.5%), Tamil Nadu from ₹121.78 to ₹131.31 (7.8%), and Telangana from ₹99.20 to ₹124.73 (25.7%).
The government has a price-stabilisation mechanism for pulses. The Price Monitoring Division says it maintains and releases strategic buffer stocks in a calibrated manner to moderate prices. Its stated buffer target includes 10 lakh tonnes of tur.
The data does not establish how much of the decline in tur prices can be attributed to these interventions.
