Economy

How Indian cities spend: The differences, similarities, and quirks in between

Shailesh Jha

Jayant Kumar

July 01, 2025 | 9 Min Read

There is a sharp contrast between the spending behaviour of people across India’s seven big cities. A closer look at the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey 2023-24 shows that.

There are many Indias within India, and each India spends differently. If Mumbai is a city of extremes, NCR has a lot of high-spending households. Bengaluru and Hyderabad have pockets of affluence, while Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Chennai are more balanced.

In this essay, the first in our series of explorations of seven Tier I cities in India, we decode all this and more.

We have analysed the spending habits of different consumer segments across Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad in the last couple of years. We’ve also tried to make sense of the differences in spending, the quirks and commonalities, and what drives them.

For our analysis, we’ve used micro data from the Household Consumption Expenditure Survey conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation for FY23 and FY24, covering around 15K households sampled from these cities.

Bi-modal, bridge and balanced: 3 kinds of Tier I cities based on household spending

Corporate

Access unlimited content at a special discounted rate. Trusted by top VC’s and leading organizations, we provide bulk subscriptions for groups of 30+. Contact us for more details

Campus

Top educational institutions have collaborated with us for campus-wide subscriptions. For bulk campus-wide access, please get in touch.

Join our community of 100,000+ top executives, VCs, entrepreneurs, and brightest student minds

Trusted by the best

Karthik Reddy

Blume Ventures

The CapTable brings a refreshing set of insights for us at the Blume team, highlighting stories that bring together the underlying business and founders with that of investors' journeys with these startups. It's an important perspective that very few bring to startup ecosystem enthusiasts.

Latest Articles

Demat or non-demat for mutual funds? Here’s how you can decide

With a demat account you can hold and manage stocks, mutual funds, and bonds, all in one place. But the traditional SOA (statement of account) aka non-demat mode also has its advantages, especially if you mainly invest in mutual funds.

Maulik M

From a sprawling HQ to a mailbox: Inside the Great Byju’s sale

From billion-dollar boardrooms to a rented desk, Byju’s story returns to where it began, smaller, quieter, and up for sale. The insolvency-led auction of India’s most famous startup isn’t just about ownership but whether the country’s biggest tech dream still holds any value.

Nikhil Patwardhan

Inside the fight to reclaim ‘ORS’ from misuse

The battle over ORS-branded beverages exposes the cracks in India’s food regulation and how companies can exploit medical trust. A paediatrician’s complaint has forced the FSSAI and courts to confront a long-ignored grey zone.

Anuj Suvarna

From ice cream to protein, why Heritage Foods wants to bet on macros

Rather than building its own protein line, 33-year-old dairy company Heritage Foods is buying one. Get-A-Way’s acquisition signals where it sees its next scoop of growth—an indulgent ice cream with protein on top. Will the bet pay off?

Shivani Verma

India's auto boom rides on workers who can't get a real job

The CapTable’s analysis of the Annual Survey of Industries shows that half a million contract workers who power the country’s car factories earn half the pay of their permanent counterparts with no benefits, no unions, and contracts that reset every few months

Parvathi Benu

Convinced that The Captable stories and insights
will give you the edge?

Convinced that The Captable stories
and insights will give you the edge?

Subscribe Now

Stories

Explore