Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sfax and Mahdia

For one person, living is cheaper in Mahdia: $557 a month against $626 in Sfax, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Sfax
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Sfax Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Mahdia
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Mahdia Living Index

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Sfax

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$626

/mo nomad

Mahdia

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$557

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sfax and in Mahdia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sfax and in Mahdia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $626 per month in Sfax vs $557 in Mahdia, rent included.

Sfax $626
Mahdia $557

A couple spends around $983 per month in Sfax vs $881 in Mahdia, rent included.

Sfax $983
Mahdia $881

A family of three spends $1,341 per month in Sfax vs $1,206 in Mahdia, rent included.

Sfax $1,341
Mahdia $1,206

Sfax costs about 12% more than Mahdia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Sfax and Mahdia are more affordable than the global median – Sfax 54% lower, Mahdia 59% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.39 TND 10.14

$2.48 TND 7.44

36.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.15 TND 60.3

$20.01 TND 59.9

0.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.98 TND 14.92

$4.84 TND 14.49

2.89%

Cappuccino

$0.70 TND 2.08

$0.96 TND 2.89

-27.08%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 TND 1.89

$0.57 TND 1.72

10.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 TND 0.74

$0.19 TND 0.56

31.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 TND 4.85

$1.03 TND 3.07

57.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 TND 5.83

$1.51 TND 4.52

29.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.46 TND 1.38

$0.43 TND 1.30

6.98%

White Bread (500g)

$0.22 TND 0.66

$0.26 TND 0.78

-15.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 TND 4.08

$1.38 TND 4.13

-1.45%

Eggs

$1.55 TND 4.63

$1.53 TND 4.58

1.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.52 TND 37.51

$11.75 TND 35.19

6.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.52 TND 16.53

$4.96 TND 14.87

11.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.83 TND 41.41

$14.46 TND 43.29

-4.36%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 TND 5.43

$2.86 TND 8.56

-36.71%

Banana (1kg)

$3.14 TND 9.41

$2.86 TND 8.55

9.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.05 TND 3.14

$1.44 TND 4.32

-27.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.68 TND 2.04

$0.72 TND 2.15

-5.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 TND 2.42

$0.65 TND 1.94

24.62%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 TND 2.47

$0.34 TND 1.03

144.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.58 TND 1.74

$0.43 TND 1.29

34.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.35 TND 1.04

$0.31 TND 0.94

12.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.73 TND 11.17

$3.53 TND 10.56

5.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.88 TND 20.60

$3.35 TND 10.04

105.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 TND 3.39

$1.63 TND 4.88

-30.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 TND 3.26

$1.25 TND 3.75

-12.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.18 TND 0.53

$0.32 TND 0.95

-43.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.97 TND 29.87

$13.33 TND 39.92

-25.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.33 TND 0.99

$0.31 TND 0.93

6.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 TND 0.94

$0.26 TND 0.77

19.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.21 TND 21.59

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.80 TND 2.39

$0.88 TND 2.64

-9.09%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.1K TND 108.0K

$40.9K TND 122.5K

-11.83%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$34.4K TND 103.1K

$40.1K TND 120.0K

-14.09%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$44.55 TND 133

$56.3 TND 169

-20.91%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$9.71 TND 29.09

$7.15 TND 21.41

35.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.70 TND 44.02

$20.10 TND 60.2

-26.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.24 TND 81.6

$20.52 TND 61.5

32.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.12 TND 21.32

$7.69 TND 23.03

-7.41%

Cinema Ticket

$4.65 TND 13.91

$6.80 TND 20.36

-31.62%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$98.6 TND 295

$109 TND 326

-9.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,480 TND 7,427

$985 TND 2,951

151.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.87 TND 125

$37.98 TND 114

10.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.55 TND 106

$32.80 TND 98.2

8.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 TND 337

$76.9 TND 230

46.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.2 TND 201

$23.51 TND 70.4

185.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$195 TND 584

$130 TND 390

49.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$133 TND 399

$100 TND 301

32.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$335 TND 1,002

$292 TND 875

14.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$214 TND 641

$175 TND 523

22.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,014 TND 3,037

$675 TND 2,022

50.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$720 TND 2,156

$201 TND 602

258.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$333 TND 996

$232 TND 695

43.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.6

10.33

31.66%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Sfax: October 11, 2026

Last update for Mahdia: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Sfax

$193 30.8%

Mahdia

$188 33.8% 2.3% $4.4

Accommodation & Living

Sfax

$133 21.3%

Mahdia

$100 18% 24.7% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Sfax

$116 18.5%

Mahdia

$77 13.8% 33.4% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sfax

$69 11%

Mahdia

$84 15% 21.2% $15

Eating Out

Sfax

$66 10.5%

Mahdia

$57 10.3% 13.2% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Sfax

$37 5.8%

Mahdia

$34 6.1% 6.6% $2.4

Getting Around

Sfax

$13 2%

Mahdia

$16 2.9% 28.7% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $195 in Sfax versus $130 in Mahdia. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 43% higher in Sfax, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Sfax versus $20.00 in Mahdia. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Sfax vs $188 in Mahdia – so Mahdia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇳 Sfax

🇹🇳 Mahdia

🕒 Local time

07:29 7:29 AM

Same time as Sfax

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

955,421

79,545

💱 Currency

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sfax Mahdia 89 km

From you

Sfax
Mahdia

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Sfax vs Mahdia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Sfax is pricier by about 12%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $938 per month in Sfax and $835 in Mahdia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mahdia, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $98.6 per month in Sfax and $109 in Mahdia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 2% more in Sfax, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $626 in Sfax and $557 in Mahdia, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Mahdia – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mahdia. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sfax makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.