Definition & calculation
Numerator: Value of the multi-purpose cash transfer delivered per household per month
Denominator: Cost of the locally defined Minimum Expenditure Basket (MEB) for an equivalent household size and period
Divide the per-household monthly transfer value by the current MEB cost for a comparable household size and multiply by 100, updating the MEB with prevailing market prices.
Formula: (Numerator ÷ Denominator) × 100
Means of verification
Transfer value/programme design records, current MEB costing from the Cash Working Group, and market price monitoring
Interpretation
Typical reporting frequency: Monthly or quarterly
Guidance & common pitfalls
Measures the adequacy of the transfer design against the MEB, not what households actually achieved; adjust for household size and refresh the MEB as prices change so the ratio is not overstated by an outdated basket.
This library is a curated reference to adapt, aligned generically with recognised humanitarian frameworks (Sphere, cluster registries, IASC, CHS and others). It is not an official indicator registry — always use the exact indicator definitions your donor or cluster requires.
Related indicators
- % of monitored markets assessed as functional and adequately supplied with essential MEB commodities
- % of MPCA recipient households able to meet their priority basic needs after assistance
- % of MPCA recipient households with an acceptable Food Consumption Score
- % of MPCA recipients reporting they could decide independently how to use the assistance