School-supply basket in Venezuela costs $550

A Venezuelan family needs $550 to cover the return to classes of a single student in the 2026-2027 school year, according to a report presented in Caracas and published by the newspaper El Nacional. According to the report released by the outlet and presented by leader Eric Ondarroa, the amount equals two and a half months of full minimum income and 3,581 months of the minimum wage.

The basic uniform set, consisting of a shirt, sports shirt, pants, track suit and sports shoes, costs $158, the publication said. Meanwhile, buying the school supply list comes to $352 per student, broken down into $270 for textbooks and $82 for notebooks, pencils and paints. Transportation also represents a significant burden for parents in areas without state-subsidized school bus routes, who must spend at least $40 a week on travel.

The report published by El Nacional warns that the return to classrooms imposes an outlay of $376 on teachers. This amount is made up of $216 for clothing and footwear, $40 for fares and $120 for food, according to data released by the education monitor.

These expenses occur in a context of strong inflationary pressure on households. According to records and projections from the International Monetary Fund, Venezuela's annual inflation stood at 337.5% in 2023, fell to 49.4% in 2024 and rebounded to 252.0% in 2025. For 2026 and 2027, the institution's projections estimate annual inflation of 387.4% and 94.4%, respectively, figures that correspond to estimates and not to closed data already observed.

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