Costs in Honduras

Honduras has no single national total-cost benchmark that represents every household. Rent, water, sanitation, transport, private services and leisure prices require local checking. Housing may involve alquiler, vivienda propia, a home provided or lent by another person, or informal possession. INE's 2024 EPHPM reported 67.9% of homes as owned and fully paid and 17.8% as rented, representing 463,659 rented homes; 89.1% of rented homes were urban. A rented home may require monthly rent, a deposit and additional charges, while ownership does not remove utility, maintenance or repair costs. Residential electricity is billed by ENEE, the national electricity company, under tariffs regulated by CREE. From July 2026, the residential tariff for 0 to 50 kWh per month includes a fixed charge of HNL 59.52 per account per month plus HNL 4.9706 per kWh. Above 50 kWh, the first 50 kWh use that rate and each additional kWh costs HNL 6.4680. HNL means Honduran lempira. Electricity tariffs are adjusted quarterly, and island networks may use separate arrangements. Water and sanitation have no uniform national tariff. Municipalities, SANAA, ERSAPS, UMAPS and local Junta Administradora de Agua providers use different connection and billing systems. In one UMAPS example, sewerage costs 25% of the water bill and meter maintenance costs HNL 1.50 per month. Tank delivery or household supply arrangements can create additional local costs. The Canasta Básica de Alimentos, or CBA, is a food basket used as a minimum nutritional reference. It covers 30 products and approximately 2,200 calories per person per day, but it is not a full living-cost index or a benefit entitlement. The reported national per-person monthly CBA was HNL 2,603.51 in January 2026, HNL 2,606.03 in February and HNL 2,622.08 in March. Five people would therefore have a calculated CBA reference of about HNL 13,110.40 per month, excluding housing and non-food expenses. Actual food spending can be higher because of diet, prices, waste, transport, school meals and purchases from markets, pulperías or supermarkets. Mobility costs depend on journey and transport choice. Urban and interurban buses, taxis, private vehicles and walking have different cost patterns. IHTT sets and monitors passenger fares, and users can report overcharging. No single national passenger fare applies to all journeys. Fuel prices are regulated and adjusted weekly on Mondays at 06:00. In 2025, reported ranges per gallon were HNL 99.31–102.91 for Gasolina Superior, HNL 90.39–94.97 for Regular, HNL 79.74–87.71 for Diésel, HNL 70.11–78.24 for Kerosene and HNL 42.94–49.47 for GLPV. In January 2026, subsidized household LPG for a 25-pound cylinder was HNL 238.13 in Tegucigalpa and HNL 216.99 in San Pedro Sula. Health spending ranges from public primary or hospital care through IHSS coverage, private clinics, laboratories, pharmacies and medicines. No national patient-fee schedule was identified; private prices and medicine costs depend on the provider and availability. Vaccinations in the public network are documented as free. Public education from pre-basic through secondary level has free matrícula, meaning tuition enrollment is free, and a school may not refuse entry because a payment was not made. Families may still pay for supplies, transport, meals and provider-specific charges; private schools add tuition. Complaints about public-school payment barriers can be made through line 104. Family and elder care are mainly arranged within households, kinship or communities, with paid caregivers available according to location and ability to pay. Costs rise with dependants, school-age children, disability or older people, but no national fee schedule exists. Communication costs depend on coverage, device and provider. CONATEL reported that 87.24% of mobile lines were prepaid and 12.76% postpaid in the first quarter of 2025. Fixed or mobile internet, prepaid top-ups and postpaid plans therefore need provider-specific checks. Free community activities, parks and sports can reduce leisure costs, while cinemas, restaurants, tourism and private sports vary strongly by city, season and provider. A Honduras household budget can start with the number of people multiplied by the current CBA reference, then add housing, electricity, water and sanitation, food above the CBA, mobility, health, education, communication, leisure and a contingency amount. Update the CBA monthly, fuel prices weekly, electricity tariffs quarterly and rents or provider charges whenever the quoted price changes. BCH distinguishes the CBA from the Consumer Price Index (IPC) and the Cost of Living Index (ICV); none of these should be presented as a complete household budget. SETRASS minimum wages vary by sector and company size, so a single national income figure is not a reliable substitute for the household's actual income and bills. Banking, debt and taxes may affect the budget as related matters, but they are not living-cost categories themselves.