• Food prices vary widely across regions, highest in Lomé
• Cereals cheaper near production areas; vegetables show mixed patterns
• Transport costs drive disparities; state fixes uniform fuel prices

A kilogram of tomatoes costs 992 CFA francs in Lomé in February 2026. In Kara, the same kilogram sells for 529 CFA francs. In the Savanes region, it goes for 471 CFA francs, less than half the price in the capital. That figure reflects a reality Togolese households face every day: food prices vary sharply from one region to another. Data published by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic and Demographic Studies (INSEED) for February 2026 show those gaps clearly, product by product.

Cereals: cheaper far from Lomé
 For staples such as rice and corn, the trend is unambiguous: the farther from Lomé, the lower the price. Imported long-grain rice sells for 636 CFA francs per kilogram in Greater Lomé, compared with 415 CFA francs in the Plateaux-Est region, a difference of more than 50%. White corn follows the same pattern, at 231 CFA francs per kilogram in Lomé versus 143 CFA francs in Kara and 147 CFA francs in the Savanes. For a family consuming several kilograms of cereals a week, the gap quickly adds up over the course of a month.

That difference is largely explained by proximity to production areas. Northern Togo is largely agricultural, and cereals move directly from fields to local markets, without the transport costs and intermediaries that push up prices in the capital.

Fresh vegetables: a reverse pattern
 For some vegetables, the pattern reverses. Green pepper is significantly more expensive in the Plateaux-Est region, at 1,356 CFA francs per kilogram, than in Lomé at 919 CFA francs or in the Savanes at 624 CFA francs. Yam costs 451 CFA francs per kilogram in Lomé but only 338 CFA francs in the Centrale region. These gaps reflect local supply chains and region-specific harvest cycles.

Palm oil: more expensive in the north
 Traditional palm oil, known as zomi, highlights the country’s geographic imbalances. It sells for 1,621 CFA francs per litre in Lomé but reaches 2,382 CFA francs in the Savanes and 2,364 CFA francs in Kara. The reason is straightforward: this oil is produced in the south. The farther north it travels, the more transport costs push up the final price.

Meat and fish: Lomé remains the most expensive market
 For beef, Lomé posts the highest price at 3,003 CFA francs per kilogram, compared with 2,154 CFA francs in the Savanes. For smoked fish, prices vary more. Smoked horse mackerel, known locally as akpala, costs 3,596 CFA francs per kilogram in Lomé but 4,269 CFA francs in the Maritime region and 3,924 CFA francs in the Savanes, where the product passes through longer supply chains.

State-controlled prices: the only nationwide uniformity
 One consistent pattern holds across the country: fuel and butane gas prices are identical in every region. Gasoline is priced at 680 CFA francs per litre, diesel at 695 CFA francs, a small gas bottle at 4,740 CFA francs and a large one at 9,875 CFA francs, whether in Lomé, Kara or the Savanes. These are government-set prices; the state absorbs transport costs to prevent landlocked regions from being penalized.

What these figures reveal
 These regional price gaps are not trivial. They mean that the same salary does not carry the same purchasing power depending on where one lives. In Lomé, incomes are generally higher, but so are prices. In the rural north, households pay less for certain local products but face higher prices and more limited access to goods from other parts of the country.

INSEED collects these figures monthly by tracking 810 products across nearly 4,800 outlets nationwide.

Fiacre E. Kakpo