Monthly Grocery List for a Nepali Family of Four
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A realistic monthly grocery list for a Nepali family of four: how much rice, dal, oil and spices you will actually use, plus the household items people forget until they run out.
In many Nepali homes, the monthly shopping used to happen on the first Saturday after salary day, done by someone who never needed a list. Most of us don't have that kind of memory any more, and we end up making three extra trips to the shop because we forgot the jeera. This list is built around what a typical family of four goes through in a month. Treat the quantities as a starting point and adjust them after your first month.
Grains, flour and dal
Dal bhat twice a day is still the backbone of most Nepali kitchens, so this is where the bulk of the weight (and the budget) goes.
| Item | Family of four, per month | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Rice | 20 to 25 kg | Less if you eat roti at night |
| Atta (wheat flour) | 5 to 10 kg | Depends on how often you make roti |
| Dal (masoor, moong, rahar) | 3 to 4 kg | Mix two or three kinds |
| Chana, rajma, black dal | 1 to 2 kg | For weekends and guests |
| Chiura (beaten rice) | 1 to 2 kg | Khaja and travel |
| Besan, sooji, maida | 500 g each | Pakoda, halwa, baking |
You will find all of these under Rice, Atta & Flour and Dals & Pulses. Buying rice in a 25 kg bag is usually cheaper per kilo than smaller packs, as long as you have a dry, sealed place to keep it (more on that in our guide to storing rice, atta and dal).
Oil, ghee and cooking basics
- Cooking oil: 4 to 5 litres. Mustard oil for achar and tarkari, sunflower or soybean for frying.
- Ghee: 500 g to 1 kg, more if anyone in the family insists on it with every meal.
- Salt: 1 to 2 kg. Use iodised salt for everyday cooking.
- Sugar: 2 to 3 kg, mostly for tea.
Browse Oil, Ghee & More for the full range.
Masala and spices
Spices last longer than a month, so you will not buy every one every time. Keep these stocked:
- Turmeric, cumin (jeera) powder, coriander (dhaniya) powder and chilli powder: 200 g each
- Whole jeera, methi, mustard seeds and timur
- Garam masala and meat masala
- Bay leaves, cloves, cardamom and cinnamon
Ground spices lose their smell after two or three months, so smaller packs are often the better buy. See Masala, Dry Fruits & More.
Breakfast, tea and snacks
- Tea leaves or tea bags: 500 g to 1 kg
- Milk: about 1 litre a day, so 30 litres a month
- Bread and eggs: two or three loaves and 2 to 3 crates of eggs a month
- Biscuits, noodles and namkeen for tiffin and evening khaja
- Oats or cornflakes if anyone eats cereal
Most families buy milk and bread more than once a week, so these usually sit on a separate weekly order. Our tea and coffee and snacks sections cover the rest.
Household and personal care
These are the items that are never on the list until the bottle is empty.
- Detergent powder or liquid: 2 to 3 kg
- Dishwashing bar or gel, and a new scrub
- Toilet and floor cleaner
- Bathing soap (one bar per person), shampoo and toothpaste
- Toilet paper, tissues and garbage bags
- Sanitary pads, if needed
How to keep the budget under control
- Check what you already have before you order. Half-empty jars at the back of the cupboard are where the money leaks.
- Split the list into monthly and weekly. Rice, oil, dal and cleaning supplies once a month; milk, bread, eggs and vegetables every week.
- Buy staples in bigger packs only when you can store them well.
- Write down what you actually used at the end of the month. After two months, your list will be accurate to the kilo.
On Vhandar you can save this list as a shopping list and reorder from it next month, instead of searching for every item again. It takes a little effort the first time, and saves a lot of effort after that.
