The World Food Programme prices the minimum monthly food basket for a family of five in Haiti at about $180 (23,543 gourdes, November 2025 figures at the rate of the day). So what does $100 of goods — a bit over half that basket — actually look like? Here is the math, item by item.
| Item | About |
|---|---|
| Rice (55 lb bag) | $41 |
| Beans (10 lb) | $13 |
| Cooking oil (1 gallon) | $14 |
| Spaghetti (8 packs) | $7 |
| Cornmeal (10 lb) | $8 |
| Canned mackerel (6 tins) | $9 |
| Sugar (5 lb) + salt | $5 |
| Soap and basics | $3 |
| Total | $100 |
Example prices, checked November 2026 against the basket the World Food Programme tracks and the prices the biggest seller in this field charges for the same staples (a 55 lb bag of rice at $41 against the Programme's implied $44). Prices in Haiti move — with the roads, with the season, with the gourde. We re-check this page every month, and the date at the top always tells you which month you are reading.
$100 is roughly two weeks of basic staples for a family of five — not a month. Anyone who tells you $100 feeds a family of five for a full month is selling you something. When our food packages open, the biggest bag is built to this same basket, and its contents will be priced on this page first.
November 2026 is the first edition. A new edition is published every month — same basket, fresh prices — so the change in what $100 buys is on the record.