How should a household estimate monthly living costs in Sudan when prices vary by region and access?

List food, shelter, water, power, transport, health, education, communication and care separately, then record the locality, date, household size, payment channel and access conditions for each amount. Recalculate when exchange rates, fuel prices, security or displacement status changes.

What does the WFP Local Food Basket show about food costs in Sudan, and what does it exclude?

For July 2026, the basket was 3,380 SDG per unit, covering eight basic foods and 2,100 kilocalories per person per day; it had risen 22% month on month and 76% year on year. It is an affordability indicator, not a complete household food budget, because it does not cover all meals, household supplies or differences in family size and region.

How can a household verify rent and shelter costs in Sudan?

Compare current local offers with information from landlords, host communities, humanitarian shelter providers and locality-level sources. UNHCR observations ranged from zero to 8,000,000 SDG per month, but the 272 valid observations are not a representative national median.

Which additional costs should a household check for health and education in Sudan?

Check medicine, further treatment and transport costs for health care, and uniforms, notebooks, transport, Parent Teacher Association contributions and private-school fees for education. Supported health and education services may reduce charges, but Sudan has no evidenced national guarantee that all such costs are free.

How should exchange rates be recorded when calculating costs in Sudan?

Record the SDG amount, the currency used for comparison, the exchange channel and the date. The July 2026 reference rates were about SDG 5,600 per US dollar on the parallel market and SDG 5,300 through commercial banks, but these rates are time-specific.

Costs in Sudan

Living costs in Sudan vary sharply by state, locality, market access, security conditions, displacement status and exchange rate. A realistic budget separates recurring expenses such as food, rent, water, power, transport, medicine, education, communication and care from one-off costs such as shelter repairs, devices and relocation. The WFP Local Food Basket indicates food affordability but is not a complete household budget.

Tip

Treat a Sudan household budget as a dated local estimate, not as a national standard. Set food and shelter priorities first, then test whether water, power, transport, health, education and communication remain affordable if prices, exchange rates or access change. Keep humanitarian assistance separate from dependable household income because eligibility, coverage and funding can change.

bySara&Ali

Sudan has no single national household-cost model or institution that provides a reliable standard budget. Households usually combine information from local markets, landlords or host communities, water providers, schools, health facilities, telecommunications companies and humanitarian programmes. Prices can change quickly because of conflict, displacement, damaged supply chains, fuel shortages and currency depreciation, so a quote should include the locality, date, payment channel, household size and access conditions. The Sudanese pound is the normal budget currency. The WFP Market Monitor for July 2026 used approximately SDG 5,600 per US dollar on the parallel market and SDG 5,300 through commercial banks. These are dated reference rates rather than stable conversion values; the pound had depreciated by about 90% or 121% against the previous year, depending on the comparison used. Record the exchange rate and date whenever a cost is converted into another currency. Food is usually the largest recurring expense. The WFP Local Food Basket was 3,380 SDG per unit in July 2026, up 22% from the previous month and 76% from the previous year. It covers eight basic foods and 2,100 kilocalories per person per day, not all meals, household supplies or the total cost of feeding a family. Reference prices included sorghum at 2,071 SDG per kilogram, wheat flour at 5,227 SDG per kilogram, a goat at 349,150 SDG per head and peanuts at 219,058 SDG per kantar. Prices differ between regions, especially in conflict-affected, Darfur and Kordofan markets. Casual labour averaged 17,237 SDG per day, with regional figures around 6,000 to more than 25,000 SDG; this income comparison does not establish a reliable minimum budget because household size, access and security costs differ. Housing is fragmented and often informal. Households may rent accommodation, stay with a host community, live in a camp, use an improvised or critical shelter, occupy a school or public building, or live in an open or informal settlement. DTM MSNA 2025 found an unsatisfied shelter need among 45% of surveyed households across 24,403 households, 187 localities and 18 states. UNHCR rent observations with 272 valid entries ranged from zero to 8,000,000 SDG per month, but they are not a representative national median. Shelter kits, rental subsidies and housing cash assistance generally target specific displaced or refugee households and depend on humanitarian programmes and funding. Water and sanitation costs depend on the State Water and Environmental Sanitation Corporation, WES services, community water committees, water points and vendors. In the available assessment, 22% of households could not meet their water needs and 18% could not meet sanitation needs. A Tawilla household-connection benchmark of 2,000 SDG per month comes from 2022 and is neither current nor national; some mosques, schools and vulnerable communities had tariff exemptions there. Electricity often depends on unreliable public supply, generators or solar systems. Fuel, batteries, maintenance and charging can therefore matter more than a single published tariff, and no uniform national electricity tariff is established by the available evidence. Mobility is mainly provided through public transport, private hire, walking and informal freight. No reliable national fare series is available. In July 2026, commercial petrol rose 27% and diesel 17% month on month, while parallel-market petrol rose 36% and diesel 42%. Security conditions, road access, fuel supply and permits can make transport costs highly volatile; some conflict areas are much more expensive or inaccessible. Health costs depend on the facility, programme, care pathway and security situation. The Federal Ministry of Health, state ministries, primary-care facilities, mobile clinics and NGO or UN-supported services form a fragmented system. Twenty-one percent of households in the available assessment could not meet their health needs. In 2025, UNICEF-supported 1,400 facilities reached more than 4.5 million children and women. Supported primary care, maternal and child services, immunization, nutrition, oral rehydration and community therapeutic services are often free at the point of use, but Sudan has no evidenced national guarantee of universal free care. Medicine shortages, further treatment, transport and private purchases can still create substantial out-of-pocket costs. Education costs vary between public and private schools, state and locality, and the availability of support. Federal and state education ministries, public and private schools, Parent Teacher Associations and Safe Learning Spaces all play a role. Sixty-eight percent of households in the available assessment could not meet their education needs. In 2025, about 8 million of 17 million school-age children were out of school; 13,005 of 19,395 schools were operational and 8,031 schools received grants. Supported schools may provide learning materials, but uniforms, notebooks, transport, Parent Teacher Association contributions and private-school fees can remain household expenses. A November 2025 ministry directive stated that a pupil should not be expelled for a material reason. Private-school fees in Wad Madani and Al Jazirah were reported locally to have fallen by 15% in 2026, which is not a national fee standard. Family costs commonly combine food, care, health, schooling, transport and displacement-related expenses. UNICEF's MCCT+ programme provided regular digital financial support in 2025 to about 90,000 pregnant or lactating women, representing roughly 540,000 household members in 17 localities across five states. It uses targeted eligibility and is not a general family allowance. Childcare, eldercare and costs linked to gender-based violence are often local or informal, and no national tariff structure is established by the available evidence. Telecommunications are regulated by the Telecommunications and Post Regulatory Authority, or TPRA, and supplied by licensed companies. The ITU standardized high-consumption mobile basket of 140 minutes, 20 SMS messages and 5 GB of data cost 7.09 US dollars in the 2025 comparison. The SDG amount changes with the exchange rate. Damage to infrastructure, weak electricity supply, outages and availability gaps in Darfur and Kordofan add effective costs for charging, devices, travel and alternative connections. Leisure is mainly organised through community, sports, cultural and religious activities, television, radio and youth clubs. There is no reliable national leisure-price series or formal cost structure. Many activities are free or low-cost, but transport, devices, venues and refreshments can still create expenses. Under current household pressure, leisure generally has lower budget priority than food, housing, health and education. A usable household budget should list fixed or recurring costs separately from one-off costs. Record rent or shelter repair, water, power or generator fuel, solar maintenance, food, transport, medicine, school materials or fees, SIM and data, devices and care. Stress-test the result against exchange-rate changes, fuel prices, conflict-related access limits and the lean season. Verify local prices with the relevant state or locality authority, school, health facility, water provider, market or telecommunications company. Humanitarian support can reduce a specific cost, but access and funding can change quickly.