The long-standing debate over whether cooking at home is more cost-effective than eating out has resurfaced, with some claiming that rising food prices make dining out just as affordable. A Malaysian man recently conducted a two-week experiment to compare the costs and shared his findings online.
Living with a housemate, his calculations accounted for meals for two people. In the first week, he spent RM250 at Ramadan bazaars, covering both iftar and sahur. This worked out to RM18 per day per person, or RM9 per meal.
“I found myself rationing the dishes carefully so that portions lasted for both iftar and sahur. In this economy, there’s only so much you can get, and it wasn’t enjoyable because I kept worrying the food wouldn’t be enough,” he wrote.
For the second week, he focused on home-cooked meals. Grocery costs for the week came to only RM110. While he did visit Ramadan bazaars, it was just for snacks like kuih at around RM3 per day, totaling RM21, plus an extra RM19 for ingredients such as spices.
With an “intermediate” level of cooking skills, he said most dishes took up to 45 minutes to prepare depending on complexity. “When cooking at home, I can plan portions properly for two meals and even have some extra. Sometimes I make additional dishes, so I don’t have to worry about the food running out,” he added.
Netizens largely agreed that home-cooked meals are more economical in the long run, particularly during Ramadan when eating out daily is not sustainable.
One user, a former working mother, commented, “The data is correct. Buying food from outside was more than 50% more expensive than cooking ourselves. It doesn’t matter how many people are eating.”
However, some acknowledged the trade-off, noting that cooking requires time and effort, and occasionally buying food outside is acceptable for convenience.
The experiment highlights that with planning and effort, home-cooked meals can significantly reduce food expenses while providing better control over portion sizes and nutrition during the fasting month.
