Food is where homesickness and your budget collide. The good news: you can absolutely cook Indian food in Germany affordably, once you know where to shop and how Germans buy groceries. Here is the practical playbook.
The one-line version: buy staples (rice, dal, atta, spices) cheap from Indian/Asian/Turkish shops and online, do your everyday shopping at discounters Aldi, Lidl and Penny, hit Turkish/Arab greengrocers for cheap fresh vegetables, and cooking at home can keep your food bill around 120 to 200 euro a month for one person (a careful, mostly-vegetarian cook can get near 100 to 150). See the broader price guide.
Where to find Indian ingredients
- Indian and South Asian grocery stores: in most cities, these stock atta, dals, basmati, masalas, ghee, paneer, frozen parathas and snacks. Bigger cities have several.
- Turkish and Arab supermarkets: a lifesaver, cheap lentils, rice, spices, fresh coriander, chillies, and vegetables at far lower prices than German chains.
- Asian (often Vietnamese/Chinese) stores: great for rice in bulk, sauces and some spices.
- Online: Indian grocery websites deliver across Germany, handy in smaller towns; buy non-perishables in bulk to save on shipping.
Everyday shopping: how Germans do it cheap
- Discounters are your base: Aldi, Lidl, Penny and Netto are dramatically cheaper than Rewe/Edeka for staples, dairy, oil, frozen veg and pulses.
- Turkish greengrocers beat supermarket prices on fresh produce, perfect for sabzi.
- Buy seasonal and local vegetables; out-of-season imports cost more.
- Store brands (Ja!, K-Classic, etc.) are a fraction of branded prices and usually fine.
A realistic monthly food budget
| Style | Roughly / month |
|---|---|
| Cooking at home, discounter + ethnic shops (one person) | ~120 to 200 euro |
| Mixing in some convenience/eating out | ~300 to 400 euro |
| Eating out often | 500 euro and up |
Cooking is by far the biggest controllable cost in your monthly budget. A single restaurant meal (10 to 15 euro) can equal a few days of home cooking.
The tricks that actually cut the bill
This is where Indian students quietly save 30 to 50 euro a month without eating worse.
- Buy dry lentils and chickpeas, not cans. A can of cooked chickpeas (~240g drained) costs €0.70 to €1.20; a 1kg bag of dry chana from an Indian or Turkish store is €2 to €3 and yields several cans' worth. Soak overnight and boil in a pressure cooker (rajma, chole, chana all the same trick). You already know how to do this, do not pay the convenience tax. Dry rajma, chana, toor/moong/masoor dal are all far cheaper dry and keep for months.
- Canned chopped tomatoes are the one can worth buying. At €0.40 to €0.70 a tin they are cheaper, riper and faster than fresh tomatoes for gravies, dal tadka and curries, and they do not spoil. Stock a few; passata (tomato puree) is just as cheap and great for bases.
- Frozen vegetables beat fresh for cooking. Frozen peas, spinach (great for palak), green beans, mixed veg, and chopped onions are cheap at discounters, already prepped, never go off, and lose almost nothing in a curry. A 1kg bag of frozen spinach or peas is a few euro and lasts weeks.
- Frozen fruit + your own blender = cheap smoothies. Fresh berries are expensive and spoil in days; frozen berries, mango and mixed fruit at discounters are a fraction of the price and last for months. A cheap hand blender or a second-hand stand blender (eBay Kleinanzeigen) pays for itself fast: one bottled smoothie from a shop costs €2.50 to €4, while a homemade one from frozen fruit and milk or yoghurt is well under €1. Same trick for fresh juice, lassi and chutneys.
- Buy rice and atta in big bags, 5kg or 10kg from an Indian/Asian store, the per-kilo price drops sharply.
- Frozen parathas, samosas and naan from Indian stores are cheaper and faster than ordering in when you are tired or homesick.
- Whole spices last longer and cost less per use than small ground packets, and dry-roast them yourself.
- Reduce meat, not flavour. Meat and fish are the priciest part of any basket; a few vegetarian dal-and-sabzi days a week is where the real savings sit, and it is how you grew up eating anyway.
Practical kitchen tips
- Bring or buy a pressure cooker, it pays for itself in dal and time.
- Cook in batches and freeze; German freezers and meal-prep culture make this easy.
- Stock a core spice kit early so you are never stuck eating expensive convenience food.
- Split bulk buys with flatmates or fellow Indian students.
- Bring a few hard-to-find masalas and your mother's spice mixes from India, see what to pack.
FAQ
Can I get Indian groceries in Germany?
Yes, via Indian/South Asian shops, Turkish and Asian supermarkets, and online stores that deliver nationwide.
Where is grocery shopping cheapest?
Discounters (Aldi, Lidl, Penny, Netto) for staples, and Turkish greengrocers for fresh vegetables and spices.
How much should food cost me per month?
Cooking at home as one person, roughly 120 to 200 euro (a careful, mostly-vegetarian cook can get near 100 to 150). Eating out regularly pushes it well past 400.
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