Monthly Ration List for a Family of 4 (with Budget)

Most families buy ration from memory. That works until prices rise or someone keeps buying a second packet of something that is already in the cupboard. A written list with quantities fixes both problems.

A typical month for four people

These are averages for two adults and two school-age children eating mostly at home. Your family may eat more rice than wheat, or the other way round; adjust from here.

• Atta: 18 to 20 kg. Daily rice: 8 to 10 kg, plus 1 to 2 kg basmati for special meals
• Dals: about 5 to 6 kg in total (toor 2 kg, moong, chana and masoor 1 kg each), plus 1 kg each of rajma and kabuli chana
• Cooking oil: 4 to 5 litres. Ghee: half to 1 litre
• Sugar: 3 kg. Tea: 500 g. Salt: 1 kg
• Spices: one pack each of turmeric, chilli, coriander and garam masala usually lasts a month
• Cleaning and personal care: detergent 2 to 3 kg, dishwash 1 litre, soaps, toothpaste and shampoo

What it costs

At 2026 city prices this list comes to roughly ₹11,000 to ₹14,000 a month, before milk, vegetables and fruit. Oil, ghee and dals are the biggest lines. That is where comparing shops pays off.

Compare price per kg, not per packet

Shops and apps sell the same item in different pack sizes. A 5 litre can for ₹725 is ₹145 a litre; a 1 litre pouch at ₹142 online is cheaper. Write the price per unit for each place you shop and buy each item where it is cheapest. Many families find that one shop wins on dals and grains while an app wins on oil and cleaning products.

Five ways to cut the ration bill

1. Check what is at home before you shop. The most common waste is a duplicate pack.
2. Buy dals and grains for the month, not the week. Small packs cost more per kg.
3. Watch the big three: oil, ghee and dals. A ₹10 difference per litre of oil on 5 litres is ₹50 every month.
4. Store brands are fine for basics like salt, sugar, besan and cleaning liquids.
5. Set a monthly ration budget and track what you actually paid against it.

Keep it as a checklist

Turn the list into a checklist: mark each item as bought and note what you paid. At the end of the month you can see which items cost more than planned and why.

Our Grocery Budget & Monthly Ration List comes with these 40 items already filled in, compares prices across two shops and one app, and shows plan vs paid for every section. Works in Excel and the free Google Sheets app.