India’s cost of living has risen 58% in a decade. 5 charts show why it’s not 58% for everyone

Team TOI PlusTIMESOFINDIA.COM
Apr 27, 2026 | 19:24 IST

Can every worker afford the economy that they keep running?

In the past 10 years, the usual day to day things you spend money on — your food, your coffee, your shoes, your medicines, your cab rides, your rent, all of it — got 58% more expensive.

It wouldn’t be upsetting if your pay rose faster, or at least in step with, this 58% rise in prices. That’s basic math. But it’s also basic math that averages can flatten out the inequities of life. Make them invisible.
Copyright © 2024 Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. All rights reserved. For reprint rights: Times Syndication Service.