NEW DELHI, June 24 (Xinhua) -- A survey carried out by the market research firm and data company, YouGov, has shown that 46 percent of urban Indians said their cost of living went up "a lot" compared to the last 12 months.
However, for 33 percent it went up "a little," the survey showed.
"With inflation at its highest level in the past eight years, petrol prices spiralling and wholesale price inflation at a 30-year high, and cost of living in India has gone up in the recent past," the market research firm said on Thursday.
According to YouGov, over 1,000 respondents were polled online between June 7 and June 10.
Retail inflation touched an eight-year high of 7.79 percent in April and eased to 7.04 percent in May.
Over half of the respondents in Tier I cities, 44 percent in Tier II cities and 43 percent of residents in Tier III city residents said the cost of living had increased a lot, the survey finds.
It showed that over the last six months urban consumers had reduced spending most on clothing, fuel and eating out.
"Clothing tops the list with more than a third (35 percent) saying they have cut their spending on clothes, apparels and accessories. Almost as many (31 percent) have reduced their spending on hobbies or leisure activities like going to the cinema," YouGov said.
With the recent increase in fuel prices, 29 percent of the respondents claimed to have cut their expenses on petrol or diesel, while 28 percent have curbed their spending on eating-out, said the survey, adding that this behavior is more noticeable in tier-I cities than the rest regions in India.
The study finds more than a fifth have limited their spending on services like grooming, wellness and gyms.
Fewer respondents reported cutbacks on essential food items (12 percent), broadband subscriptions (15 percent) and household essentials (18 percent), the survey showed.
