Urban India's malls, restaurants and entertainment hubs see a surge in footfall every weekend for good reason. Consumers in the country's top 100 cities spend nearly two-thirds of their weekly discretionary budget on Saturdays and Sundays, with fashion, dining, entertainment and electronics emerging as the biggest beneficiaries, according to a study by PRICE and Tata Sons, according to Times of India.
The study found that urban consumers spend an average of Rs 10,700 over the weekend, compared with Rs 6,700 during weekdays, translating into a weekend spending multiplier of 1.6 as leisure time fuels discretionary purchases.
The contrast is most visible in non-essential categories. Weekend spending on fashion more than doubles to Rs 1,075 from Rs 529 during the week. Spending on entertainment—including movies, plays and children's activity centres—rises to Rs 662 from Rs 328, while expenditure on electronics increases to Rs 695 from Rs 350. Dining out and food delivery also witness a sharp jump, climbing to Rs 959 from Rs 525.
In comparison, spending on essential categories such as groceries and healthcare remains broadly stable throughout the week, indicating that the weekend surge is largely driven by discretionary consumption rather than routine household purchases.
The spending pattern is even more pronounced across India's six largest metros—Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad—where the weekend spending multiplier stands at 1.65. The remaining 94 cities also record a strong multiplier of 1.55, although a few exceptions exist. Dhanbad, for instance, records a multiplier of 0.92, indicating lower spending over weekends than weekdays.
Regionally, western India leads the country with a weekend spending multiplier of 1.8, followed by southern India at 1.5, central India at 1.49 and northern India at 1.4.
Income levels also play a significant role in shaping weekend consumption. The multiplier rises from around 1.4 among individuals earning below Rs 25,000 a month to nearly 1.6 for those with monthly incomes between Rs 25,001 and Rs 50,000. Among consumers earning more than Rs 1 lakh a month, weekend spending is 2.5 times weekday expenditure, underscoring the growing role of discretionary spending as incomes rise.
Beyond weekend behaviour, the study highlights the growing economic importance of India's largest urban centres. Although the top 100 cities account for less than one-fifth of the country's population, they contribute nearly one-third of India's total consumption, estimated at Rs 74.5 lakh crore, and around 61% of overall urban demand in 2025-26.
Household expenditure across these cities has grown at an annual rate of 10.4% over the past decade, outpacing the national average growth of 8.5%.
The study also points to changing urban consumption patterns as rising incomes reshape household budgets. Families in the top 100 cities now allocate nearly two-thirds of their spending to services such as housing, transport and education, reflecting what the report describes as a shift from subsistence-led consumption to increasingly aspirational spending.
With inputs from TOI
