Dining out costs between RM200 and RM2,500 per month

SHAH ALAM - Singles as well as families are spending between RM200 and RM2,500 each month dining out at restaurants taking into account the increasing price of goods.

Based on Sinar’s survey, they believed the amount of money splurged at eateries was not much different compared to the cost of cooking at home.

A bachelor who worked in the private sector Muhamad Amirul Adha Sabri, 24, shared that he, who lives alone in Shah Alam spent up to RM420 a month to eat out.

"I limit myself to no more than RM15 a day to buy rice and side dishes. So the monthly expenditure is about RM420.

"The cost is more or less the same if you buy chicken, eggs, oil or rice and other things to cook at home," he told Sinar Harian on yesterday.

Another private servant Salsabila Syarulnizam, 24, said she spent between RM200 and RM450 a month for the same purpose.

She pointed out that spending increases on weekdays to purchase breakfast and dinner as well as ordering food online over weekends.

Meanwhile, a housewife Nurmizan Afiffah Mohamad Amin, 29, said that she, with her husband and child chose to grab meals outside daily with an estimated expenditure of RM700 a month.

"Usually, on weekdays, we only go to nearby spots after Maghrib so that we can return early and my husband is not too tired after work.

"On weekends, we only eat at a restaurant a little far from home," she said.

According to a private sector member who is also a mother of two, A'ina Mardhiyah Mohammad, 31, her family would dine or take out every day with an average spending of RM1,500 per month.

"In Johor Bahru, I would buy nasi lemak and traditional cakes for breakfast for RM10. Lunch for RM20 at a place close to the office because it is an area for Singaporeans as well.

"Because I do not have time to cook, I think it is easier to pack side dishes," the woman with a four and one-year-old said.

A government retiree Kamariah Abdul Manap, 59, said that eating at restaurants was more profitable with various options.

"I live with my husband, two children, son-in-law and a grandson. So, each one has different tastes.

"Rough expenses of eating at diners for a month is around RM2,200, but not every day because I will cook on the weekend," she explained.

For a primary school teacher Rosmaya Abdullah, 56, she chooses to buy side dishes at the school canteen as her work schedule is not fixed.

"So I will bring home the side dishes and cook rice at home. The monthly spending is about RM2,500 for eight family members," she said.