Cost of living in Algeria: a family's monthly budget

What a family of four spends per month in Algeria

There is no official "cost of living" figure for an Algerian household that you can simply look up. The ONS measures how prices change, not how many dinars a family spends. So we built the budget the practical way: a couple with two school-age children, one car, ordinary shopping at the épicerie and the marché, autumn 2026 prices.

The table gives three situations, because housing changes everything. The first column is for families who own their home or live in the family house, which is common in Algeria. The other two are for tenants.

For comparison, the minimum wage (SNMG) rose from 20 000 to 24 000 DA a month on 1 January 2026, and salaries of 45 000 to 90 000 DA are common. That is why so many families get by on two incomes, or on one income and no rent. Our guide to the average salary in Algeria shows what each pay level covers.

Grocery budget for 4 people per month: regulated and free prices

Algerian groceries come in two kinds. Some staples have a price fixed by the state, so the price on the shelf is predictable. Everything else is sold at a free price that moves with the season, the wilaya and the week. The basket below uses official prices where they exist and recent reported prices for the rest.

Sources for the reference prices: the sachet milk price of 25 DA is set by regulation, and the 5-litre bottle of oil is capped at 650 DA and packaged sugar at 95 DA a kilo. The standard baguette has a regulated price of 7.50 DA, but many bakeries mostly sell other breads at higher, free prices. Potatoes have been capped at 80 to 90 DA a kilo since a ministry decision on 1 October 2026 , after they reached 140 DA in some Algiers markets. Leave room for a 10 to 20% swing on the free-price lines.

Cost of living in Algiers: rent changes everything

In Algiers, food, fuel and bills cost about the same as elsewhere. Rent is where the capital stands apart. In 2026 rental listings and guides, a three-room flat (F3) on the outskirts commonly goes for 45 000 to 75 000 DA a month. In central or upmarket areas such as Hydra or El Biar, asking rents of more than 100 000 DA are frequent. In mid-sized towns, an F3 is often in the 20 000 to 45 000 DA range.

These figures are asking prices, not an official statistic, so treat them as a guide. Many landlords also ask for several months, sometimes a year, paid in advance. Whatever the monthly rent, that advance has to be saved up first. A family moving to Algiers should budget it as a separate goal rather than squeeze it out of one month's salary.

Bills, fuel and the lines people forget

Energy is one of the gentler lines. Household Sonelgaz bills use a progressive scale, calculated per quarter, whose tariffs have not changed since 2016. A family that uses air conditioning in summer or electric heating in winter will see the quarterly bill jump, so set aside a monthly amount (our estimate: 3 000 to 4 000 DA, water included) instead of being surprised every three months.

Fuel went up on 1 January 2026: petrol now costs 47 DA a litre, diesel 31 DA and GPL-c 12 DA . A car that burns 100 litres of petrol a month costs 4 700 DA in fuel alone, before repairs and insurance. For internet and phones, check the current offers from Algérie Télécom, Mobilis, Djezzy and Ooredoo. A home connection plus two mobile packages usually comes to a few thousand dinars.

• The rentrée in September: school bags, books, clothes, often 10 000 to 20 000 DA per child (our estimate), all in the same weeks.
• Ramadan: the food bill commonly rises by a quarter or more for the month.
• The Aïd el-Kébir sheep: in recent years often the single largest purchase of the year, and best saved for month by month, as in our Eid sheep savings plan .
• Summer at the sea, weddings and family visits, which are hard to predict but easy to budget for once you have tracked them for a year.

Spread over twelve months, these seasonal costs add 5 000 to 10 000 DA to a normal month. A budget without them is too optimistic.

Why the basket feels higher in 2026

The feeling is backed by the figures. According to the ONS bulletin for August 2026, prices were 8.01% higher nationally than in August 2025 and 8.27% higher in Algiers. The more widely quoted 3.9% is a different measure: it compares the average of the last twelve months with the twelve months before. Both are correct. They answer different questions.

Fresh food drove the increase. In Algiers, the average price of whole chicken rose from about 357 to 502 DA a kilo in a single month, and eggs and fresh vegetables also went up. In October 2026 the Council of Ministers announced a seven-point plan against price rises , including stricter rules for intermediaries between producers and consumers. For what inflation means for your own budget, see Algeria's inflation rate in 2026 .

How to work out your own cost of living

The table above is an average family, and no family is average. Your real cost of living is what leaves your purse and your accounts, and the only way to know it is to note it.

1. For one full month, write down every expense the day you make it: the épicerie, the marché, the taxi, the Sonelgaz bill, the credit you settle at the shop.
2. Use the same eight or nine categories as the table so you can compare.
3. At the end of the month, add up each category and put it next to the estimates above. The gaps tell you where your money really goes.
4. Divide the year's seasonal costs (rentrée, Ramadan, Aïd, summer) by twelve and add that amount to every month.
5. Set a limit per category for the next month, starting with the two or three biggest lines.

If you'd rather not do it in a notebook, Jibi is a free app (web, iPhone and Android, in English, French and Arabic) where you note each expense in a wallet for cash, Edahabia or a CIB account. Its statistics show your spending by day and by category, so the month's real food or transport bill is there without any adding up. It never connects to your bank or asks for card details. To turn those figures into a plan, our guide to planning a monthly budget takes it step by step.