The cost of a healthy diet varies across the world, but higher food costs don't necessarily mean a healthy diet is unaffordable, and lower food costs don't guarantee it's within reach.

Data from the Food and Agriculture Organisation shows that despite having food costs close to the global average, most of Africa struggles to afford a healthy diet. In 2025, the average cost of a healthy diet in Africa was $4.35 per person per day. It was just above the world average of $4.28, yet 66.6% of people in Africa couldn't afford one. In Middle Africa specifically, the cost was $3.65, and 78.7% of the population still couldn't afford a healthy diet.

By contrast, in Northern America and Europe had an even lower average cost ($3.64) than the global average, and 6.8% of the population couldn't afford a healthy diet.

The Caribbean had one of the highest food costs in the data ($6.04), and 48.9% of its population couldn't afford a healthy diet.