Whether you spend too much on food delivery depends on your own total, so start with that number: what you’ve spent across Swiggy, Zomato and the grocery apps in a month and in a year. Then look at where the money goes, such as the fees on each order, late-night orders and the restaurants you order from most. DineProfile adds up every order you’ve placed on Swiggy, Zomato, Zepto, Blinkit and Instamart, back to your oldest order, and shows you those numbers.
How often people in India order food online
In a LocalCircles survey published in January 2026, with more than 79,000 responses from 359 districts, 75% of respondents said they use food delivery apps. Of the people who answered how often their household orders, 58% said 1 to 5 times a month. 55% of the people who order through the apps said menu prices on the apps are higher than at the restaurant. The LocalCircles survey has the full results.
Why delivery costs more than the menu price
- Menu prices on the apps can be higher than the restaurant’s own prices, as the survey above found.
- Each order carries fees: a delivery fee, a platform fee, the restaurant’s packaging charge and sometimes a small-cart, rain or late-night fee. Swiggy’s platform fee rose to ₹17.58 an order, including GST, in March 2026, and Zomato’s platform fee came to the same amount after Zomato’s own increase that month.
- GST applies to the food and to the fees: 5% on restaurant food ordered through an app, and 18% on the platform fee and, since September 2025, on delivery charges.
The fees guide explains each fee, and how the platform fee grew from ₹2 in 2023.
Ways to spend less on delivery
- Find your monthly number. Your DineProfile report shows what you spend in an average month, so you can set a budget against a real figure.
- Look at your fees. Platform fees have gone up several times since 2023, and your report shows the fees on your own average order, year by year.
- Watch for late-night and rain fees. The apps add these fees at night and in bad weather, and your report shows how many orders you placed between midnight and 5 am.
- Combine small grocery orders. A small-cart fee applies when an order is below the app’s minimum, and one bigger order avoids that fee.
- Check your membership. A membership pays off only if your orders save more than the membership costs, as the membership guide explains.
- Look at your top restaurants. Your report ranks restaurants by money spent, so you can see which restaurants take the most.
Questions
How much does the average person in India spend on food delivery?
Published surveys mostly measure how often people order. In the January 2026 LocalCircles survey, 58% of households that answered ordered 1 to 5 times a month. To see your own number, connect your apps to DineProfile.
How do I find out how much I spend on food delivery every month?
Connect Swiggy, Zomato and any grocery apps you use to DineProfile. Your report shows your total for each month and what you spend in an average month.
Why is my Swiggy or Zomato order more expensive than the menu?
Fees and taxes come on top of the menu price: a delivery fee, a platform fee, packaging and GST, plus a small-cart, rain or late-night fee on some orders. Menu prices on the apps can also be higher than at the restaurant.
Does DineProfile help me stop ordering?
DineProfile shows what you’ve spent and where the money went. What you do with that number is up to you.