Cost of living in Algeria

Helo; i live in Annaba, i go one a month to algiers (capital city) at minimun;

Accomodation: varaies between 10 000DA (120$)to 60 000 DA, prices in algiers are higher, starting generally at 20 000DA
www.algerimmo.com/ ;
www.immobilier-en-algerie.comwww.immobilier-dz.net

Public transportation: very very very cheap in bus, it costs me personally 90 DA per month (10$), there is also line taxis, very cheap too (3 times the price of a bus), but u share it with 3 other people, a taxi cost generally 200 DA at minimum.depends also on your destination, for example if you ask a taxi to take you to a place wich the raod to is very bad, it will surely cost much moore.

Food:
bread=8 DA
milk = 30 DA
sugar = 70 DA (kg)
chicken = 300 DA (kg)  (HALAL)
meat = 700 DA (kg) (HALAL)
mineral water= 25DA (1,5 litre)
spaghetti,couscous,maccaroni..= 40~ 70DA (1kg)

Education:
Education in public schools and university is free, subscription fee is just 200 DA for a year, not other fees.

Health:
dental care = 600 DA (one visit)
other= 600 DA up to.....1000 DA

Internet, telephone:
Mobile is really accessible: from 500 DA to 4000 DA; with nedjma, you pay 4000 DA a month, and you have infinite communication (national) and i think about 36H to international, offers vary between nedjam, djezzy and Mobilis(public operator).

internet is not very developped, i have (a bad) 1 MO ADSL connection, there is only two operators (for the moment)
Algerie telecom:
128KO = 600 DA -a month
256= 110DA
512=1400 DA
1MO=1800 DA
EEPAD:
1MO=2500 DA (very bad service...)
one big problem that internet providers face today is phone line stealing....


Restaurant:
1600 DA for two persons..
café: 15-30 DA
cocacola:25-30 DA (depends on where u r)
local limonade:15-20 DA
cinema:50-100 DA

i wish it will help, ask me ur questions , n'hesitez pas...

one other thing, algerian people speak french, a few people speak english...so try to speak some french will surely help u..and why not arabic.

Hello my name is Mona, I am a new member, very new,this second actually is when i joined. my last trip to Algeria was last summer I basically split my time between Annaba and Alger, I love it there it is always a heartwarming experience. Love seeing " la famille" it is something I am definetly missing here in the U.S. I can't wait to come back I hope some day to spend most of the year there and simply visit the U.S. I am doing some research on trying to find out the cost of basic necessities clothes, shoes, soap, lotion, not worried about food just shopping, kids clothes, etc.. so if someone could communicate with me on these things i would greatly appreciate it. Alors je vous laisse, jusqu'a la prochaine fois que je decide a visiter ce site. Je parle en francais ainsi que l'arabe. Chow!

Hi every body,

My brother is in Algeria since few days, he told me, it 's very good and the weather is very warm since he came there.
About price and the life cost, you can get everything, but it is depending your life style:

If you prefer to live as in western, the prices are as expensive as France (you can imagine what it is for the locals.

But if you try to live like you own family there and locals, the costs become very low (but good luck!).
As described by Gladius, Internet is less expensive than a iol drum.

Mais c'est vrai que c'estmieux de parler français, j'ai trop de mal avec l'anglais (lol!)

Voila!

Uh that's nice to know. rhx

Hi, every body,
i have an offer for work in Algeria(Oran).
i want to know about some subject please:

How much does it cost to live in Algeria?

> accommodation prices

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc ...)

> food prices(per month, how much does it cost you?)

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance)

> eduction prices (if you need to pay)

> energy prices (oil, electricity)

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)

> prices of a good menu in a traditional restaurant

> prices of a beer and or a coffee in a regular pub

> price of the cinema

I dont know french and arabic at all.i speak English.

please help me to make a good decision.

Hi. My name is Motaz & I am from India and will be shortly coming to Algers. Wish to know if there are any English Schools in Algers plesae. Thanks.

I beleive the prices need to be updated, can someone do this and enlight us . it yould be great .

Many thanks

Hi Kamy,
Let me try to answer some of your questions. I lived in Algiers for 2 years and visit regularly as I have family there:
I can only comment on my experiences and of Algiers but it may help you and if not, then others:

How much does it cost to live in Algeria?

> accommodation prices
Private rent in Algiers is usually on an annual basis paid in full at the start of the rental period. This can start from 10000 DA £70 per month outside of the city for a small flat to silly prices in the city centre! We rented a 1 bedroomed flat an hour outside Algiers in a nice area for £200 per month. I'm afraid I don't know how much a hotel costs.

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc ...)
My experience of public transport in Algiers is that it is very cheap (less than 50p a journey) but very crowded and quite unreliable. Taxis are available in the city centre although it is highly unlikely that the drivers will speak English and some will not speak french either. They are cheap and can be shared with other passengers going the same way. There is no tube yet although it has been being built for the past 20 years so hopefully we will see it soon! I don't know about Oran. There are overground trains but be aware that certain journeys travelling through certain areas may be unsafe for foreigners.

> food prices(per month, how much does it cost you?)
We used to spend about £100-£150 on food per month but that's because we liked our Western treats so it is possible to manage with less. Meat is very expensive compared to the UK but bread (15p), takeaway pizza (£2) and basics are relatively cheap. Markets are obviously more reasonable than the shops and fruit and veg can be bought on the side of the road at better prices.

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance)
I'm not sure whether medical insuranace is valid in Algeria to be honest, it was something I was going to find out for someone else as I am the Director of a Medical English Programme in Algiers so it would be useful info. There is a public service but it is very poor compared to Western standards. Many of the doctors are committed and knowledgable but do not have the resources to do their job to the standard they would like. Private healthcare is slightly better and very cheap in comparison to the UK, about £15 for a consultation with a specialist, no referral letter required (just turn up and wait). Hospitals are basic and emergency services scary for someone who has 17 years experience in the National Health Service in England. It is safer and quicker to drive your relative to hospital than to wait for an ambulance which may never arrive. Private x-rays, blood tests, investigations can cost between £1-40 depending on what you're having done but obviously operations are considerably more. However, if I were having surgery I may choose to have it done in the public sector due to a lack of emergency facilities in the event of a complication in the private clinics.

> eduction prices (if you need to pay)
What type of education are you talking about? There are public and private schools. Public schools use mainly Arabic and there are a selection of private schools which use French. Hopeland Academy is the only school I know of that uses English but this is in Algiers.

> energy prices (oil, electricity)

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)
No TV licence to pay! If you want English channels you will need to purchase a satellite box for a one off fee, Algiers is a sea of satellites! Mobile phone credit comes in 500DA (£3-4) and 1000DA (£7-8) and I would usually use one of each per month pay as you go, I don't know how much a contract would cost. Internet can be bad or good depending on where you are and we paid £12 a month. I can't remember how much the landline was sorry.

> prices of a good menu in a traditional restaurant
When we met with friends who were visiting we would take them to restaurants but it can be expensive and comparable to the UK for cost (£20) per person. However, if you're lucky enough to find a good local restaurant then prices are much cheaper. Fish restaurants are popular all along the coast and there are some nice Lebanese and Indian restaurants in Algiers. There is not the choice of International cuisine found abroad and I found that food made up the bulk of what I put in my suitcase when returning from the UK so I could cook International dishes whose ingredients could not be found in Algiers or were imported and therefore VERY expensive eg £5 for a bottle of Heinz brown sauce!

> prices of a beer and or a coffee in a regular pub
What do you mean by a regular pub? In Algiers there are a few pubs but as a Muslim country where drinking alcohol is frowned apon these are few and far between. Respectable Westerners are more likely to go to a hotel bar to drink but then this obviously is more expensive.

> price of the cinema
There are a few cinemas in the city centre but no films shown in English yet so I don't know how much it would cost as my french and Arabic are not good enough to watch a film either

I dont know french and arabic at all.i speak English.
I suggest you start to learn one or the other as you will find it very difficult without. The level of English amongst the general population is poor and whilst many young people are trying to learn from the net, public school lessons do not start until the age of about 12 and are minimal. The older generations speak mainly dialectal Arabic (derdja) or French and all official paperwork is in either pure Arabic or French. Workers in the banks and government offices rarely speak English.

If I can clarify anything further, please feel free to contact me.

pour le coute de vie en algerie tu parles??!!!

Hi Maija,
Mon francais n'est pas bien mais je peux essayer. Qu'est ce que vous voulez demander? Est-ce que vous parlez un peu d'Anglais ou waalou?

Pour les discussions en Français, ça se passe ici : forum Algérie

please use the small flags if you would like to see the french or spanish version of this forum. Thanks

It is really a must to know the money that will cost us in living on a place.(moderated: no free ads please)

To be honest, I even could not imagine how hard it is to find decent piece of info on the above topic. It took me a couple of hours before I came across your site. No doubt, it is the best freely available source!Thanks for it! Regards, James (Moderated: No Free advertising, Thanks)

I can just state that the accommodation costs in Algeria is about $100 a week.

[Moderated]

Thanks a lot for discussing this matter. I concur with your conclusions.The point that the data stated are all first hand on actual experiences even help more.

[Moderated - No free advertisement]

Hello!

I agree for the most part of the above replys but to update 2011. I have lived here for 5yrs.

> accommodation prices
in Alger a 1bd starts at 150euro, if you are lucky. except to pay around 250-500euro
moving out of Alger it's less

> public transportation fares (tube, bus etc ...)
buses and taxis every, generally buses run from abot 10c-50cent per stop but taxis are expensive. there is a train going from east to west, pricing depends on where you go. They ar building a subway now.

> food prices(per month, how much does it cost you?)
I have a family of 5, we eat pretty frugally and we cannot spend less then 250euros. we donnot eat out at all, so if you want to eat out or eat more hearty meals add more
red meat -10euro kg, chicken 3euro kg, vegetables are pretty cheap but fruits run high in winter. prices go up during before after holidays by like 25%. not much imported products and few there are expensive

> health prices (for those who need medical insurance)
health care here is basic yet still fine for the usual issues. If ihad major problems like cancer i would go to france. doc visit around 6-10euro

> eduction prices (if you need to pay)
pusblic schooling is free, but private is high 200euro per month or more

> energy prices (oil, electricity)
these are generally low here we only pay about 60euro yearly

> common bills (Internet, television, telephone, mobile phone)
pay as you go mobiles, TV is free until you have a special service, Internet is around 20euros

> prices of a good menu in a traditional restaurant
Not many nice resturants but you can find them. except to pay no less then 50euros 2ppl for nice resturant, fast food is pizza or sandwiches around 2euro per person, only fast food chain is Quick expensive about 10euro per person. Nice seafood placs will run you about 60euros

> prices of a beer and or a coffee in a regular pub
this is a muslim country so drinking is not common, few pubs i have seen in alger + the hotels, but i dont drink so i have no idea about pricing

> price of the cinema
2 cinemas in Alger, cost about 2euros but never showing any good films so dont bother

Hello heniko,

Thanks for this updated information Very useful!