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What India’s Household Consumption Survey Says We Spend Our Money On

MoSPI’s 2023-24 consumption survey put average monthly per-capita expenditure at ₹4,122 in rural India and ₹6,996 in urban India, with rural budgets allocating a larger share to food.
From TheFinanceBase Team3 min to read
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India’s Household Consumption Expenditure Survey (HCES) 2023-24 estimated average monthly per-person spending at ₹4,122 in rural areas and ₹6,996 in urban areas, before imputed values are included. Food made up a larger share of rural budgets; non-food spending made up a larger share of urban budgets. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) published these findings in its 2025 factsheet.

What the survey measured

MoSPI describes HCES as a survey designed to collect information on household consumption and expenditure on goods and services. Its commodity-group budget shares are also used to compile official Consumer Price Indices.

The 2023-24 fieldwork ran from August 2023 to July 2024. The factsheet reports results from 261,953 sampled households: 154,357 rural and 107,596 urban. MoSPI used separate questionnaires for food items, consumables and services, and durable goods, with information gathered over three monthly visits within a quarter. The factsheet describes a multistage stratified sample, with villages or urban blocks selected as first-stage units and households as ultimate units. MoSPI’s HCES 2023-24 factsheet and the survey’s Microdata Portal record provide further details.

How much people spent per person

In MoSPI’s estimates without imputation, average monthly per-capita consumption expenditure (MPCE) was ₹4,122 in rural India and ₹6,996 in urban India. These are nominal rupee amounts reported for the 2023-24 survey, not inflation-adjusted figures. The estimates describe average consumption expenditure per person; they are not household totals or measures of income.

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How spending differed between rural and urban India

The split between food and non-food spending shows how the composition of average budgets differed. Shares below are percentages of MPCE in the factsheet’s 2023-24 estimates.

Spending category Rural Urban
Food 47.04% 39.68%
Non-food 52.96% 60.32%

Food accounted for a greater share of rural MPCE, while non-food categories together accounted for a greater share of urban MPCE. These percentages describe budget shares, not the rupee amount spent in each category. Because overall urban MPCE was higher, a smaller urban food share does not by itself establish that urban residents spent fewer rupees on food than rural residents.

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Conveyance was the largest listed urban non-food share

In the factsheet’s urban category breakdown, conveyance accounted for 8.46% of MPCE, the largest listed non-food share. This is conveyance’s share of urban per-capita expenditure—not the total level of urban spending, nor 8.46% of non-food spending alone.

How to interpret the estimates

Imputation changes the estimate series

MoSPI publishes estimates both without imputation and with imputation for certain goods provided free through social-welfare programmes. The ₹4,122 and ₹6,996 figures above are from the series without imputation. The factsheet says it does not impute the value of free education and health services. When comparing figures, use the same estimate treatment; otherwise, differences may reflect imputation as well as consumption.

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Recall periods vary by item

The survey uses a modified mixed reference period rather than asking every household about the same time window for every purchase. Selected food and related items use the last seven days; specified items, including clothing, education, hospitalisation and durable goods, use the last 365 days; other items use the last 30 days. The factsheet’s table values are nominal rupees reported by respondents.

Historical comparisons need care

MoSPI says the 2023-24 methodology was identical to 2022-23 except for some dropped household-characteristics questions. That statement does not establish that every earlier survey year is perfectly comparable. For longer-term comparisons, check the relevant year’s detailed report, questionnaire and estimate treatment. MoSPI’s Household Consumption Expenditure data catalog lists the survey records.

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Is it India’s “largest survey of consumption”?

The factsheet establishes that HCES 2023-24 covered 261,953 sampled households, but it does not rank the survey against all other Indian surveys. The label “largest” therefore depends on what surveys and measure are being compared. For example, the ICPSR record for the historical 2014 Consumer Pyramids Survey also describes it as “the largest survey of households in India”; that record does not settle a comparable current ranking. The reliable takeaway is the HCES sample size and what its expenditure estimates show, rather than an unqualified superlative.

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  • User-Friendly Layout - The budget planner features a user-friendly layout designed for easy navigation and organization. Each month, you'll find dedicated budget pages where you can set financial goals, track your income, and plan your expenses. Additional sections include debt trackers, savings goals, bill payment trackers, and more, making it simple to stay on top of your finances.
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