Comoros: cost of living

What is the poverty rate in the Comoros?

46.1% of people in the Comoros were living in poverty in 2024, down from 51.3% in 2020, according to INSEED's analysis of its household living conditions surveys (EHCVM 2020 and 2024). Inequality also fell: the Gini index dropped from 34.2 to 30.3.

INSEED notes that part of the fall is a base effect, because the 2020 survey was carried out during the COVID-19 shock, which pushed the 2020 rate up. The rate measures people in households whose spending is below the national poverty line. INSEED says the 2024 result means nearly one Comorian in two remains poor.

Official sources: INSEED: EHCVM 2020 and 2024 comparative analysis

How much does food cost in the Comoros?

Imported long-grain rice cost an average of 650 Comorian francs a kilo in Moroni in August 2026, according to the price table in INSEED's consumer price bulletin. Fresh beef on the bone cost 4,000 francs a kilo, frozen chicken legs 1,500 francs, vegetable oil 1,200 francs a litre and baguette bread 1,533 francs a kilo, up from 953 francs in August 2025.

These are average prices recorded in Moroni for the price index, not prices across all islands. Fish prices change a lot from month to month: mbassi tuna ranged from 2,000 to 4,000 francs a kilo over the past year. Food and drink make up more than half of the index weights.

Official sources: INSEED: IHPC bulletin August 2026

How fast are food prices rising in the Comoros?

Food inflation in the Comoros was an estimated 4.1% in 2025, down from 7.4% in 2024, according to the Central Bank of the Comoros 2025 annual report. Food prices fell on average by 1.9% in the second quarter and rose 0.4% in the third and 1.5% in the fourth quarter.

The central bank links the easing to weaker demand in the second quarter and lower world food prices. These figures are yearly averages; INSEED's monthly consumer price bulletin gives the latest month, with food making up more than half of the index weights.

Official sources: Central Bank of the Comoros: Rapport annuel 2025 (PDF)

Which prices have risen most in the Comoros since 2020?

Consumer prices in the Comoros rose 28.1% in total between 2020 and 2024, according to INSEED's analysis of its EHCVM surveys, using its consumer price index. Furniture and household upkeep rose most, by 43.3%, followed by transport (35.5%), clothing (33.3%), housing, water and electricity (31.8%) and food (28.8%). Education rose least, by 6.1%.

The figures compare the average index in 2024 with 2020 for each spending category. Communication prices rose only 9.7%, and alcohol and tobacco fell 5.6%. The index is measured in Moroni.

Official sources: INSEED: EHCVM 2020-2024 comparative analysis

How has household spending changed in the Comoros?

Household spending on telecommunications in the Comoros rose 57.6% in real terms between 2020 and 2024, the largest rise of any item, according to INSEED's comparison of its EHCVM surveys. Spending on rent rose 49.8% in real terms, while electricity bills fell 7.5% after inflation.

Real terms means after adjusting for price rises in each category. INSEED links the telecom rise to mobile internet and mobile money. Among foods, spending on ONICOR rice rose 30.4% and bwere fish 47.2%, while spending on mbassi fish fell 17.6%.

Official sources: INSEED: EHCVM 2020-2024 comparative analysis

Which island of the Comoros is poorest?

Mwali (Mohéli) had the highest poverty rate in the Comoros in 2024, at 57.0%, up 15.2 points since 2020, according to INSEED's EHCVM 2024 survey. Ndzuwani (Anjouan) followed at 55.2%, Moroni at 40.7% and the rest of Ngazidja at 35.6%, down 17.5 points.

Rural poverty fell from 56.3% to 48.3%, while urban poverty was almost unchanged at 41.1%. The survey interviewed 5,487 households from May to November 2024. Mwali's sample was 299 households, so its rate is less precise than the national one. INSEED says the 2020 and 2024 rates are compared using a harmonised method.

Official sources: INSEED: main results of the EHCVM 2024 household survey

Do remittances reduce poverty in the Comoros?

Without money sent by the diaspora, the poverty rate in the Comoros would have been about 2.0 points higher in 2024, at 48.1% instead of 46.1%, according to a simulation in INSEED's EHCVM 2024 results. In 2020 the effect was 2.5 points.

INSEED also finds remittances have almost no effect on inequality, because they go mostly to better-off households. The simulation simply removes transfers from household spending, so it does not allow for how families would adjust without them.

Official sources: INSEED: main results of the EHCVM 2024 household survey · INSEED: EHCVM 2020-2024 comparative analysis

How fast are prices rising in the Comoros?

3.2%: that is consumer price inflation in the Comoros for 2025, according to the IMF. The peak was 12.5% in 2022 and the low -4.3% in 2013. It is 23rd highest of 39 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 3.4%. Worldwide: 79th of 165.

What is household spending per person in the Comoros?

$1,416: that is household consumption per person in the Comoros for 2025, according to the World Bank. That is the highest since at least 2005. Sub-Saharan Africa median: $840; the Comoros is 11th highest of 37. World rank, highest first: 94th of 124.

How many people in the Comoros live on under $3 a day?

5.1%: that is the share of people living on less than $3.00 a day in the Comoros for 2024, according to the World Bank. That compares with 31.4% in 2014.

How many people in the Comoros are poor?

The latest figure from the World Bank, for 2024, is 46.1%. World rank, highest first: 3rd of 31.

What is the Comoros' Gini coefficient?

The latest figure from the World Bank, for 2024, is 30.3. It was 45.3 in 2014.

How many people in the Comoros face food insecurity?

According to the FAO, moderate or severe food insecurity in the Comoros was 79.7% in 2023. It is 6th highest of 35 in Sub-Saharan Africa, where the median is 59.9%. Of 135 countries with 2023 data, 8th highest.