India, March 11 -- The cost of preparing both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals at home, viewed together, declined by 5% on a monthly basis in February, helped by cooling grocery prices, according to a monthly tracker by Crisil Ltd.

However, the overall fall in costs masks a skew between average home-cooked veg and non-veg platters.

Viewed individually, the cost of an average veg meal fell by 1%, while that of a non-veg plate rose nearly 6%, according to Crisil's proprietary gauge of home-cooked meals. Many vegetables are also used in meat-based preparations.

The decline in the case of veg meals was driven by lower vegetable prices, particularly of onions, tomatoes and potatoes.

According to the tracker, tomato prices declined 28% f...