Costs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

There is no uniform national basket of goods and no general cost entitlement in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The available price series from the Ministry of National Economy (Ministère de l’Économie Nationale) through the price-monitoring platform (TALO) are based on surveys at more than 86 sites in eight provinces involving 2,710 providers and have limited nationwide applicability. Inflation, exchange rates and regional supply conditions affect the actual burden; the Congolese franc lost around 8.7 percent of its value at the end of 2024, inflation stood at 11.3 percent and the policy rate of the central bank (BCC) was 25 percent. Households should therefore update prices regularly and use a buffer of about 10 to 20 percent as a planning assumption, without treating this figure as an official standard. Housing costs usually include monthly rent and, depending on the agreement, a deposit, agency commission and utility costs. The amount depends among other things on location, housing quality, water, sanitation, electricity, waste collection, security risks and flood risks; in an older study of Kinshasa, average rent fell by about 11 percent for each additional kilometre from the city centre, while precarious areas were about 20 percent cheaper. No uniform nationwide rent cap or social rent has been established. Depending on the area, electricity is supplied through the electricity utility (SNEL SA) or private or mixed networks; outages as well as generator, solar and battery costs must be budgeted separately. Reference values for household tariffs were approximately 0.039 or 0.087 US dollars per kilowatt-hour, depending on the consumption class, with several adjustment stages. Water, waste disposal and cooking create connection, delivery, tank, charcoal or gas costs depending on the location. Food carries particularly high weight in everyday spending. In Kinshasa, for example, the prices of 25 kilograms of semolina and rice fell between March and November 2025, while meat, poultry, household products and fish became more expensive; in the east of the country, maize flour, palm oil and cassava flour became considerably more expensive than in December 2024, with maize flour rising by about 70 percent at some markets. Seasonality, transport routes, conflict and the exchange rate can intensify these differences. Mobility may include buses or other local transport, motorcycle taxis, private taxis, boats and walking, depending on the location. Fares fluctuate with distance, road conditions, fuel prices, the security situation and detours; there is no reliable national fare matrix. Healthcare expenses often arise directly from consultations, examinations, medicines, inpatient treatment and transport. According to WHO data, total health expenditure per person was about 19.43 US dollars, while direct household payments accounted for around 38.77 percent of total health expenditure; the availability of health services was about 41 percent. Emergencies and conflict areas can therefore cause high one-off costs. Primary school has generally been free of charge since 2010, but expenses for school materials, uniforms, transport, meals and, in some cases, direct fees remain. Public and private schools, education level, province and conflict situation lead to different costs; secondary and higher education require a separate local assessment. In the UNICEF baseline figure mentioned, 7.6 million children aged five to 17 were out of school. Communication costs depend on the mobile operator, data package, device, electricity supply and charging options. Standardized ITU baskets for 2025 distinguish data-only packages from combined data-and-voice packages; in 2024, about 30.1 out of 100 people had active mobile broadband, around 19.7 percent used the internet and approximately 44.3 percent owned a mobile phone. Household budgets are also shaped by household size, age structure, dependants, care, social support and remittances. Leisure costs for sports, social events, streaming, dining out and local recreation are largely informal and vary greatly with income and security. A complete budget should record recurring monthly costs, annual or one-off expenses, exchange-rate risks and a separate reserve for conflict, displacement, illness and unplanned travel.