Malaysians spend more on eating out than cooking at home as health risks mount, says KRI

Diners seen having meals during a busy lunch hour at a restaurant in Precinct 8, Putrajaya on April 22, 2026. — Picture by Raymond Manuel

First Published: Friday, 23 Oct 2026 3:22 PM MYT

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 23 — Malaysian households are now spending more on eating out than on groceries to prepare meals at home, according to a new report by the Khazanah Research Institute (KRI).

The report, titled “From Income to Wellbeing: The State of Households 2026”, found that Malaysian households spent an average of RM902.70 a month on eating out, compared with RM875.80 on groceries.

Eating out accounted for 16.2 per cent of total household spending, up from 12.6 per cent in 2016, and was the single biggest driver of higher household expenditure between 2022 and 2024, rising by RM78.20.

According to the report, the increase in food spending was more pronounced among the bottom 80 per cent of households, whose average food expenditure rose by nearly 1.5 times cumulatively between 2019 and 2024.

“For the top 20 per cent (of households), the increase (in food expenditure) was less than 1.3 times,” it said.

The shift in lifestyle has also contributed to concerns over non-communicable diseases, with several Malaysian states recording higher prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol than the national averages in 2023, the report said.

Diabetes was among the top five causes of death in most states between 2022 and 2024, it added.

More than half of Malaysian adults (54.4 per cent) were also above the healthy weight range in 2023, while physical activity declined in urban areas between 2019 and 2023, the report said.