Costs in Somalia

Somalia has no single monthly budget that applies to every household. Prices differ between Banaadir, Puntland, Galmudug, Hirshabelle, Jubaland and South West, as well as between cities, rural areas and nomadic settings. The Federal Member States use different market conditions, and figures involving Somaliland require separate coverage checks because participation in the national statistical framework has been partly separate or paused. The Somalia National Bureau of Statistics (SNBS) measures a consumer price index (CPI), which tracks changes in a defined basket of goods and services, through monthly price collection in Mogadishu and Federal Member States. Food markets are also monitored weekly across 71 markets, including 46 urban and 25 rural markets. The 2022 household budget survey covered more than 7,200 households and found an average household size of 6.7 people: 7.0 in urban areas, 6.2 in rural areas and 6.1 among nomadic households. Households with nine or more members represented 23.4% of households. In July 2026, the national CPI was 6.7% higher than a year earlier; in December 2025, annual changes were 6.6% for food, 4.2% for housing, water, electricity and gas, 10.6% for health, 8.6% for education, minus 3.9% for transport, minus 1.3% for information and communication, 2.7% for recreation, sport and culture, and 14.1% for restaurants and accommodation. Regional price movements differed in December 2025, ranging from 8.0% in South West to minus 1.3% in Puntland. Household consumption in 2022 consisted of food at 55.0%, housing, water, electricity and gas at 16.3%, clothing and footwear at 7.8%, transport at 4.8%, communication at 2.9%, education at 3.6%, health at 1.3%, recreation and culture at 0.2%, and miscellaneous goods and services at 5.1%. Food represented 53.1% of urban consumption, 57.5% of rural consumption and 59.9% of nomadic consumption. Housing represented 18.2% in urban areas, 13.6% in rural areas and 11.0% among nomadic households, while transport reached 6.9% among nomadic households. The 2022 poverty line was US$2.06 per person per day, and 54.4% of the population fell below it under that measure. About 93% of food consumption was purchased, with the remainder supplied through production or in-kind sources. Housing costs are difficult to compare nationally because the rental market is concentrated in urban areas and non-renters may own their homes, live in non-market housing or use informal arrangements. The survey recorded actual rent where available and estimated some non-rental housing, but 43.1% of non-renters had no rent estimate and 4.8% were recorded with a zero value. Urban homes commonly have two or three bedrooms, while rural homes more often have one or two and nomadic households may use one-room traditional homes or tents. A nationwide rent cap, universal housing allowance and standardized deposit were not established in the available evidence. Electricity is supplied mainly by private Electricity Service Providers, solar systems and local diesel-based systems, with the National Electricity Authority developing tariff-setting methods. Electricity access was 61.9% in the 2022 survey, including 80.1% in urban areas, 39.4% in rural areas and 8.7% among nomadic households. Electricity supplied 54.1% of lighting, torches 35.4% and solar devices 9.7%. Cooking relied mainly on charcoal at 47.9% and firewood at 41.3%; gas accounted for 5.7% and electricity for 3.9%. Improved water access was 77.7% in the rainy season and 74.7% in the dry season, while safely managed access was 63.2% and 60.1% respectively. Tanker-truck water was used by 14.4% of households in the dry season. A reported average electricity tariff of about US$0.60 per kWh is not a uniform national household tariff. Water may be paid per jerrycan, container or tanker delivery; for example, a 20-litre container in Qoryooley cost 7,000 SOS in November 2025, while a local Baydhabo example increased from 1,000 to 4,000 SOS. Food budgets depend on sorghum, maize, rice, wheat flour, sugar, cooking oil, meat, vegetables, dairy products and cereal grinding. A minimum expenditure basket (MEB) is a planning basket based on 2,100 kilocalories per person per day and selected food, water, fuel and household items; it is not a complete standard of living. In a 2026 food budget, cereals and bread accounted for 34.4%, meat and poultry 12.1%, vegetables 8.5%, sugar and sweets 8.3%, dairy 7.5%, and oil, butter and margarine 7.3%. More than 90% of essential commodities were reported to depend on imports, so drought, harvest failure, fuel costs, freight and insecurity can produce sharp local or seasonal changes. Mobility costs are usually charged per journey and vary with fuel prices, security, checkpoints, road conditions and distance. Common options include walking, bajaj auto-rickshaws, minibuses, taxis and air travel. In the household survey, 92.2% of primary-school pupils and 85.1% of secondary-school pupils travelled to school on foot. Health spending often begins at a pharmacy: 44.1% of households reported consulting a pharmacy, while 48.5% had forgone care because they could not afford it. Out-of-pocket (OOP) spending means payment directly by the household rather than through a pooled insurance system. Missing facilities, unaffordable care and missing medicines or services were major reported barriers, and health costs rose 10.6% year on year in December 2025, with inpatient care up 21.1% and medicines and health services up 16.2%. Education costs vary by school, Federal Member State and funding arrangement. Average monthly primary fees reported for 2021–22 ranged from US$4.8 in South West to US$11.6 in Banaadir; secondary fees ranged from US$6.3 in Hirshabelle to US$19.5 in Galmudug. Books, stationery, uniforms, meals and transport add to fees, and there is no nationally standardized school fee. Family budgets may also include care costs, shared household consumption, diaspora transfers and mobile-money charges. The Unified Social Registry (USR) is a targeting system for social programmes, while Baxnaano cash assistance has covered about 200,000 beneficiary households with US$20 per month paid quarterly for an initial one-year period in targeted programmes, particularly for households with children under five. These programmes are not universal child benefits, and access depends on poverty, vulnerability, drought or malnutrition targeting and registration. Communication costs usually involve prepaid mobile voice, data bundles or home internet such as WiFi and FTTH. The National Communications Authority regulates operators and consumer protection, while communication represented 2.9% of household consumption in 2022. Leisure spending was only 0.2% in the survey, but restaurants, accommodation, sport and cultural activities can be locally significant and sensitive to income, security, imported goods and fuel. A practical monthly calculation should list rent or housing costs, electricity, water, cooking fuel, food, mobility, health reserves, school costs, data, clothing and leisure separately. Keep US$ and SOS entries separate, prepare at least urban, rural and nomadic scenarios where relevant, and add a 10–20% contingency as a planning assumption rather than an official national figure. Banking, debt service, taxes and remittance fees can change disposable income, but they are separate subjects from the underlying cost of living.