Cost of Living in Tunisia in 2021

I'll try to respond to the various questions regarding living costs as listed

Rent/Home ownership...I pay 800 tnd in Hammamet for a large modern 2-bedroom apartment. I don't own a home as prices appear to be very high and ownership seems difficult for non-citizens

Fuel/transport...Likewise, I don't own a car as the cost of ownership is very high in Tunisia due to taxation. Public transport via local taxi and Luage between cities works fine and costs about 4 to 15 tnd respectively per trip

Groceries...I spend roughly 600 tnd per month for two people and the cost has been relatively stable for the past several years

Insurance...I don't have medical insurance as I'm in good health and the cost for international coverage is very expensive. I'm aware that's a gamble, but private medical costs are very low here and I pay an average of 45tnd to see each of my Primary Care and Dental physicians

Children...I don't have children

Utilities...Gas, electric & water average 57 tnd each month I use my cell phone as a Hotspot for both calls and internet which costs about 40 tnd

Leisure...This cost varies greatly which has been less due to the pandemic and lack of travel for domestic and international

To put all costs in perspective; my experience is that total costs in Tunisia are about 22% for the same life style as what I had in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA

Perhaps others have different experiences and costs as Location, Home Ownership, Autos and Children can be expensive

In response to the post (and thanks for that), here are a few snippets from me after living here permanently since May 2019. 

I wouldn't say the overall costs were 22% for me personally but probably between a third and half of what you would spend on similar things in the UK. But, for example, buying a new car is very expensive unless you are Tunisian and have the special one-off tax- free allowance after working abroad for two years (I think it's called FCR). I am told if you want to own a car, avoid second hand, as you will probably get ripped off. So a car would wipe out any savings you may make in cost of living for at least three or four years depending on what kind of car you buy. I think new cars are more expensive than in Europe and certainly more than in the Gulf - where we were living before settling here.

Also re medical costs, just seeing a GP is cheap for a consultation - we pay 50 dinars. I don't know what the costs would be e.g. for a major operation.... - though in such a case I think you are better off going abroad, as they don't have facilities for a lot of conditions (I suspect the best Tunisian doctors are working abroad). I had some physio and found it good and probably half the cost of the UK - I notice a lot of clients were European expat ladies.

Eating out is reasonable and even if you like a glass or two, it's probably less than half what you would pay in Europe or UK.  A couple of the restaurants we frequent let you take your own fish/squid (family caught so we haven't had to buy it) and only charge a small amount for cooking it - so this is a really good deal - you only pay for extras like salads and chips (french fries) and drinks. (Bread and nibbles in my experience are always gratis). 

Re other leisure activities, I think it depends on who you know. We don't play golf, but I think membership is relatively cheap.  Most hotels are 'club' which I understand means you can't just go in and for example eat in the restaurant - you have to be staying there. As far as I know, there is no system in hotels here where you can pay a yearly membership to use the facilities like pool, gym and tennis (like there is in the Gulf) - though correct me if I am wrong. We use one hotel for the pool and beach from time to time because we know the owner.

Hi glpike1,

Wow...22% of your Florida cost of living !

Hammamet, i undertand, is a coastal town, but do you live on the beach? Do you recommend this town, Hammamet for a retired couple who loves the beach, tennis, and drinks at friendly pubs?

Is their air-conditioning, since it gets pretty hot in the summers?
Is it an annual lease for the apartment?

Me and my wife plan to retire, and looking at Tunisia as a destination, where our dollars can stretch the most. Our kids are well-settled in Vancouver, Canada, but it is prohibitively expensive to live their independently. Hence Tunisia beckons. Do you work there or are you retired?