Last Updated on December 11, 2025 by Johann Van Rensburg
One of the top questions we get from our donors and volunteers is how much it costs to eat in the Congo? With rising costs of inflation worldwide, the team wanted to send an update as is something we deal with daily.
All of the information comes from the IWOF Team first hand experience and how we are able to feed hundreds of starving people weekly. Please make sure to Donate if you can.
Last week we fed 400+ orphans with Our International Women’s and Widows Fund.
Current Rice & Basic Food Costs In the Congo (Nov 2025)
In order to feed so many people, we need to be as efficient as possible with our donations. For this report we like to reference basic food in the Congo as Rice and Beans.
In Eastern DRC Rice retail prices range from $0.86 to $1.14 USD/kg. The price varies based on the quality of product. The lower quality (cheaper) rice needs to be sorted before cooking to remove small stones and reject rice kernels.
Could you imagine biting into your rice and breaking our hurting you teeth on a stone or hard kernel? This is not allowed in Canada and much of the world.
As a comparison in Canada for grade 1 quality rice, retail prices range from $2.44 to $3.24 USD/kg. Beans prices vary by type, but dry beans typically cost $2.20 to $3.60/kg in retail stores.
How We Order & Source Our Food Supply
As you can imagine feeding 400+ Orphans and Widows each week, is not an easy task. Especially with all the families. So a lot of what we do is not produced locally (even though we try) so we do ship it in.
In the Depublic Of Congo (DRC), we do have some locally produced in regions like South Kivu, but 80% is imported due to inconsistent quality and supply. Supply is often affected by flooding, very common especially the last 4 years with above average rainfall. In addition, instability like the recent M23 Rebels offensive cause havoc with food supply chains. That forces the country to import rice come from countries like Thailand and India, at international prices.
Beans are produced locally, especially in rural areas, but production is largely subsistence-based and not sufficient to meet national demand.
Costs Of Other Foods in Local Congo (Nov 2025)
| Item | Price (XAF) | Price (CAD) | Price (USD) |
| Fresh White Bread (500g) | 2800 | 2.26 C$ | US $1.61 |
| White Rice (1kg) | 1800 | 2.87 C$ | US $2.05 |
| Eggs (12, large) | 1409.89 | 4.85 C$ | US $3.45 |
| Local Cheese (1kg) | 3816.37 | 9.09 C$ | US $6.48 |
| Chicken Fillets (1kg) | 2093.63 | 7.95 C$ | US $5.66 |
| Beef Round (1kg) | 4629.58 | 13.16 C$ | US $9.38 |
| Apples (1kg) | 1691.58 | 3.90 C$ | US $2.77 |
| Bananas (1kg) | 1000 | 2.95 C$ | US $2.10 |
| Oranges (1kg) | 2030.31 | 4.72 C$ | US $3.36 |
| Tomatoes (1kg) | 2472.63 | 3.92 C$ | US $2.79 |
| Potatoes (1kg) | 1772.21 | 3.27 C$ | US $2.33 |
| Onions (1kg) | 1102.84 | 3.95 C$ | US $2.81 |
| Lettuce (1 head) | 750.43 | 2.28 C$ | US $1.62 |
| Milk (1 litre) | 1300 | 3.04 C$ | US $2.17 |
| Daily Minimum Food Cost (Western, 2400 kcal) | 5353 | CAD $12.24 | ~ US $8.74 |
| Monthly Minimum Food Cost (Western, 2400 kcal) | 165942.93 | CAD $366.80 | ~ US $262 |
Comparing our Congo Pricing To Canadian Pricing.
Seeing that we are a Canadian charity, I do like to compare our pricing to show how much disparity their truly is.
The more telling figures are buying power vs cost of basic foods. That is where we look at Per Capita GDP and Purchasing Power.
Per Capita GDP (2024)
- DRC: Approx. $664 USD.
- Canada: Approx. $54,473 USD.
- Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) Adjusted GDP per Capita
- DRC: Approx. $767 USD.
- Canada: Approx. $50,000 USD.
This means that Canadians have roughly 65 times more purchasing power per capita than Congolese citizens. So, for an annual wage of $767 USD, a Congolese citizen can purchase 767 kg of rice, at an average price of $1.00/kg. On the other hand, in Canada that same ratio indicated affordability of 17,605 kg of rice at $2.84/kg. The parity is an astronomical 2,295%.
How Much It Costs To Feed An Orphan Each Day?
Daily orphan feeding cost:
Typical feeding cost per orphan is approximately US$1.20 — US$2.30 per day (CAD $1.70 — $3.20), depending on quality, whether protein is included, and local market volatility. A monthly budget of US$35 — US$69 (CAD $49 — $96) is a realistic range; allow a buffer for transport and supply shocks.
How Much It Costs To Feed A Family Each Day?
Daily family feeding cost (family of 5):
Typical feeding cost for a family of five is approximately US$6 — US$35 per day depending on the scenario; a practical monthly budget range is US$177 — US$344 (CAD $248 — $481). For many DRC households, US$200/month may cover basic staples in lower-cost areas but will likely be strained in urban/high-price or conflict-affected zones.
In summary in DRC, even though rice and beans are cheaper in absolute terms, they represent a larger share of income for most households, who barely get by on 2 meals a day, for the fortunate ones. Many widows and street children survive on one meal per day.
