Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sfax and Msaken

For one person, living costs are similar in Sfax and in Msaken: $626 and $646 a month, rent and utilities included.

Sfax
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$626
/mo nomad
Msaken
🇹🇳 Tunisia
$646
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sfax and in Msaken

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 Msaken actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $626 in Sfax versus $646 in Msaken.

  • Sfax $626
  • Msaken $646

Estimated couple costs with rent: $983 in Sfax versus $1,020 in Msaken.

  • Sfax $983
  • Msaken $1,020

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,341 in Sfax versus $1,394 in Msaken.

  • Sfax $1,341
  • Msaken $1,394

Living in Sfax costs roughly 3% less than in Msaken, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sfax 54% lower, Msaken 52% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sfax
Msaken
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.39 TND 10.14
$4.93 TND 14.76
-31.24%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.15 TND 60.3
$21.88 TND 65.5
-7.91%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.98 TND 14.92
$5.86 TND 17.55
-15.02%
Cappuccino
$0.70 TND 2.08
$1.03 TND 3.08
-32.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.63 TND 1.89
$0.80 TND 2.39
-21.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.25 TND 0.74
$0.37 TND 1.11
-32.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.62 TND 4.85
$1.71 TND 5.11
-5.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.95 TND 5.83
$2.13 TND 6.38
-8.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sfax
Msaken
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.46 TND 1.38
$0.48 TND 1.45
-4.17%
White Bread (500g)
$0.22 TND 0.66
$0.30 TND 0.90
-26.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.36 TND 4.08
$1.71 TND 5.12
-20.47%
Eggs
$1.55 TND 4.63
$1.76 TND 5.26
-11.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.52 TND 37.51
$13.69 TND 41.00
-8.55%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.52 TND 16.53
$5.65 TND 16.93
-2.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.83 TND 41.41
$14.36 TND 43.00
-3.69%
Apples (1kg)
$1.81 TND 5.43
$2.04 TND 6.10
-11.27%
Banana (1kg)
$3.14 TND 9.41
$3.60 TND 10.78
-12.78%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.05 TND 3.14
$1.11 TND 3.33
-5.41%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.68 TND 2.04
$0.81 TND 2.43
-16.05%
Potato (1kg)
$0.81 TND 2.42
$0.86 TND 2.59
-5.81%
Onion (1kg)
$0.83 TND 2.47
$0.63 TND 1.88
31.75%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.58 TND 1.74
$0.40 TND 1.20
45.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.35 TND 1.04
$0.32 TND 0.95
9.37%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.73 TND 11.17
$3.76 TND 11.26
-0.80%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.88 TND 20.60
$5.94 TND 17.78
15.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.13 TND 3.39
$1.07 TND 3.20
5.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.09 TND 3.26
$1.31 TND 3.92
-16.79%
🚌 Getting Around
Sfax
Msaken
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.18 TND 0.53
$0.34 TND 1.02
-47.06%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.97 TND 29.87
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.33 TND 0.99
$0.32 TND 0.96
3.13%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.31 TND 0.94
$0.32 TND 0.96
-3.13%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.21 TND 21.59
$3.91 TND 11.71
84.40%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.80 TND 2.39
$0.86 TND 2.58
-6.98%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.1K TND 108.0K
$38.9K TND 116.4K
-7.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$34.4K TND 103.1K
$35.6K TND 106.8K
-3.42%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sfax
Msaken
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.55 TND 133
$59.7 TND 179
-25.36%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.71 TND 29.09
$9.20 TND 27.56
5.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.70 TND 44.02
$20.21 TND 60.5
-27.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sfax
Msaken
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.24 TND 81.6
$21.29 TND 63.8
27.95%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.12 TND 21.32
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.65 TND 13.91
$5.92 TND 17.73
-21.45%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sfax
Msaken
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$98.6 TND 295
$91.9 TND 275
7.33%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,480 TND 7,427
$3,156 TND 9,452
-21.42%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sfax
Msaken
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$41.87 TND 125
$43.28 TND 130
-3.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$35.55 TND 106
$58.7 TND 176
-39.48%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 TND 337
$117 TND 351
-4.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$67.2 TND 201
$86.0 TND 258
-21.93%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sfax
Msaken
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$195 TND 584
$108 TND 325
79.63%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$133 TND 399
$93.1 TND 279
43.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$335 TND 1,002
$203 TND 607
65.06%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$214 TND 641
$150 TND 450
42.51%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,014 TND 3,037
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$720 TND 2,156
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sfax
Msaken
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$333 TND 996
$244 TND 731
36.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
13.6
10.67
27.46%

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

Last update for Sfax: October 11, 2026

Last update for Msaken: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Sfax
$193
Msaken
$203 5.6% $11
Accommodation & Living
Sfax
$133
Msaken
$93 30.1% $40
Clothing & Footwear
Sfax
$116
Msaken
$137 18.8% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sfax
$69
Msaken
$89 29.2% $20
Eating Out
Sfax
$66
Msaken
$87 31.8% $21
Sport & Entertainment
Sfax
$37
Msaken
$33 9.3% $3.4
Getting Around
Sfax
$13
Msaken
$3.3 * 73.9% $9.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $195 in Sfax and $108 in Msaken. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Sfax pays 36% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $20.00 in Sfax vs $22.00 in Msaken for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $193 vs $203 per month, with Sfax cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇹🇳 Sfax
🇹🇳 Msaken
🕒 Local time
17:46 5:46 PM
17:46 5:46 PM
Same time as Sfax
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
955,421
56,000
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to TND – Tunisian Dinar Converter

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sfax Msaken 110 km
From you
  • Sfax
  • Msaken

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 Msaken: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Msaken cheaper than Sfax?
Sfax is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 3% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Sfax or Msaken?
Average pay runs 36% higher in Sfax, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
What is the rent difference between Sfax and Msaken?
Rent for a central apartment: $195 in Sfax versus $108 in Msaken. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Childcare runs $98.6 in Sfax versus $91.9 in Msaken. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Is eating out cheaper in Sfax or in Msaken?
Dining out is cheaper in Sfax – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $22.00 in Msaken. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,200 enough for either Sfax or Msaken?
Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Sfax gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
Is it better to live in Sfax or in Msaken?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.
Which city is safer, Sfax or Msaken?
Safety-wise, Sfax and Msaken are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Which city is easier to live in as a foreigner?
Expats usually find Sfax gentler on the wallet – expenses run 3% less than in Msaken. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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