Costs in Haiti

A realistic household budget in Haiti combines local prices with the household’s location, size, housing arrangement, health needs, schooling, mobility and access to services. Prices are not uniform: July 2026 inflation reached 18.5% in Aire Métropolitaine, 17.9% in Reste Ouest and 17.3% in Région Transversale, while the other regions remained below 16.9%. Keep the budget in HTG and update it regularly using current market prices, provider quotations and the BRH exchange-rate reference. USD figures used by aid or housing programmes are comparison values, not a universal household budget. Housing costs depend heavily on security, displacement, housing scarcity and whether the household rents privately, stays with a host family or lives in a displacement site. A 2025 housing survey in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area found annual room rents of 25,000 to 150,000 HTG, with an average of 44,363 HTG and a median of 40,000 HTG. About 32% of renters reported a rent increase, and the average rent was 200% higher than in their previous accommodation. A displacement-tracking survey recorded average monthly housing expenditure of 355 USD for host communities, 271 USD for displaced households outside sites and 23 USD for displaced households in sites; these figures are not national averages. Rent assistance is linked to particular programmes and vulnerability criteria, not a general national subsidy. Utilities require separate lines for connection, consumption, delivery and backup. Électricité d’Haïti, or EDH, is responsible for public electricity service. DINEPA and its regional OREPA offices cover drinking water and sanitation, while households may also use water trucks, water points, storage reservoirs, rainwater, charcoal, kerosene, propane, generators or solar systems. Around 26% of people lacked an improved water source, including 41% in rural areas and 5% in urban areas. Improved sanitation reached about 65% and electricity access about 30% in the cited 2025 figures. No single current national tariff for water, EDH service or generator power is reliable enough for a general budget, so local prices must be checked. Food is supplied through local markets, imports and small retailers. In July 2026, food prices rose 19.0% year on year; rice rose 21.9%, maize 17.5% and meat 26.9%. FAO reported food inflation of 35.1% in September 2025. In a March-to-June 2026 food-security assessment, 5.83 million people, or 52% of the analysed population, were at crisis level or worse, including about 1.9 million at the next more severe level. Food spending affected about 60% of households in displacement sites, 81% of host households and 71% of displaced households outside sites. Insecurity, blocked roads, fuel prices, transport, seasonality and dependence on imports can change food costs quickly. A humanitarian minimum expenditure basket can support programme planning, but it is not a universal household budget. Mobility is usually provided by private or informal services such as tap-tap vehicles, moto-taxis, minibuses and three-wheelers. The Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Communications, or MTPTC, has sector responsibility, but the amount paid depends on the journey, travel time, security conditions, walking distance and any safety detour. Transport prices rose 16.0% in July 2026, daily transport 15.7% and gasoline and diesel 15.6%. A budget should record regular journeys, occasional vehicle hire and extra costs caused by security-related changes; households with limited income may reduce travel or walk. Health spending can include consultations, medicines, laboratory tests, hospital care, maternity care, emergencies and transport or referral. The Ministry of Public Health and Population, MSPP, oversees the sector, which includes public hospitals and centres, private for-profit facilities, private non-profit or NGO facilities, mixed facilities, pharmacies and traditional providers. In 2022, institutional service shares were 34.16% public, 29.79% private for-profit, 17.28% private non-profit and 18.77% mixed. Out-of-pocket payments represented 43.53% of current health expenditure in 2021. Health prices and service availability differ greatly by institution, and free care applies only in particular programmes or emergency contexts rather than through one national fee schedule. Health prices rose 13.3% in July 2026. Education costs differ between public and private provision. The Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training, MENFP, covers public École Fondamentale schools, national schools and lycées. In the first and second cycles of public École Fondamentale, parents generally do not pay a school fee under the cited policy, while the state allocation is 400 HTG per pupil; the third cycle and public secondary education have a cited allocation of 1,500 HTG per pupil. More than 80% of schools are private, so many households also budget for registration, tuition, uniforms, books, supplies, meals and transport. Education prices rose 4.7% in July 2026. Cash or school-kit assistance from UNICEF, MAST, MENFP or DGPC is targeted to particular groups and is not a universal entitlement. Family costs rise with household size, children, illness, care needs, displacement and hosting relatives. Food, housing, school, health, care, transport and communication should be assigned to the household members who use them. No reliable national tariff covers childcare or older-person care, so local provider prices are needed. In 2025, UNICEF reported cash transfers to 18,000 households, with payments made through channels including Digicel Mobile Money, Sogebank and Le Levier; such assistance may support rent, food, school or health costs but does not create a general benefit entitlement. Communication is dominated by prepaid mobile services and bundles from Digicel and Natcom. Digicel examples include 300 MB for 30 HTG for one day, 7 GB for 220 HTG for three days, 12 GB for 550 HTG for seven days, and 30 GB plus a 15 GB bonus for 2,400 HTG for 30 days. A 30-day unlimited voice bundle was cited at 2,100 HTG. Add the cost of the phone, charging, electricity or backup power and repairs. Availability and prices vary by provider and location; communication prices rose 2.2% in July 2026, and there is no single national broadband price. Leisure is usually discretionary and is often reduced after food, housing, health and education when prices rise. Prices for cinemas, sports, cultural activities, events and restaurants are set by individual providers. The leisure category rose 11.4% in July 2026, while restaurants rose 22.9%. Use three planning views: essential spending, a standard household month and a shock month. Fixed or recurring items can include rent, school payments and basic communication; variable items include food, water, energy, transport and health; one-off items include registration, uniforms, repairs, moving, deposits and devices. Keep a reserve for inflation, illness, displacement, security-related travel changes and service interruptions. Banks may serve as payment or disbursement channels, but banking services themselves are outside this cost overview; debt and taxes are separate subjects.