Iran Food Costs: A Family of Three Now Needs 168 Million Rials

A newly married woman in Tehran says her family’s wedding savings went toward a housing deposit. She now works two shifts to pay off a loan and spends most of her waking hours at work. She told Radio Farda that her home has become a place where she only sleeps. She adds that she wakes up knowing her household is poorer than the day before. She asked for her name to be kept out of the report.

This individual story mirrors a wider trend among ordinary Iranians. Rising costs are forcing families to rethink spending on food, housing, travel, and savings. Years of international sanctions and the steady decline of the rial have weakened the economy. This hardship helped drive the protests in January, which authorities suppressed with a deadly crackdown.

Economic pressure intensified after the United States and Israel launched a war against Iran on February 28. The conflict damaged infrastructure and disrupted trade. A US naval blockade of Iranian ports cut off oil exports and imports. Iranian attacks on the Strait of Hormuz further hindered shipping. In August, the US Treasury started a new sanctions campaign called Economic D-Day to isolate Tehran financially.

A field survey by Radio Farda in central Tehran shows families are changing shopping priorities. They are deciding which necessities to skip. Middle-class activities are being abandoned. The cost of cooking at home illustrates this shift. Making chicken and barberry now costs nearly twice as much as it did a year ago. A meal of ghormeh sabzi, Iran’s national herb stew, with rice costs 23 million rials, or about $8.45. Potato patties called kookoo sib zamini cost about 4 million rials.

One woman said her family saves most of its meat and chicken for their growing children. Her husband and she eat legumes and meat substitutes instead. They worry that further price increases will force them to cut meat from the children’s meals too.

Factnameh, a Canada-based fact-checking outlet, estimated that a basket of 11 essential food items cost 56 million rials, or $20.70, per person in September. For a family of three, that total is over 168 million rials, or $61.70. The government’s 10 million rial food voucher covered less than 18 percent of the per-person cost. That is down from about 30 percent in December 2025. Annual inflation reached 89.9 percent in September. The estimated monthly wage is around $100.

Central bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati acknowledged the heavy burden Iranians are bearing on October 23. He said efforts to isolate the country’s economy failed to achieve their main objective. A retired woman living on a monthly pension of 180 million rials, or $66, has already changed her diet. She cut back on meat and other protein sources when the Iranian year began in March. She worries about her health but feels fortunate because she pays no rent.

Middle-income earners are also feeling the strain. A middle-aged man in western Tehran earns a billion rials, or $367, from his salary and rental income. This is well above the average monthly household income in Tehran of 600 million rials, or $220. He says he can live for today but has no savings for tomorrow. Travel, dining out, and saving have disappeared from his routine.

A 28-year-old woman in Tehran earning 400 million rials, or $147, a month has changed how she socializes. She and her friends used to visit cafes weekly. Now they sometimes order one dish for two people to split the bill. She says sharing is the only way to make an outing affordable.