Cost of Living inKairouan, Tunisia
Image credit: ovancantfort
Purchasing Power vs. United States
Based on GDP per capita (PPP). Tunisia: $12,775/capita.
How Far Your Money Goes
Prices are 71% lower than the global benchmark (New York City = 100).
Using the country-level NYC comparison for now. We do not have a defensible city-level aggregate cost index for this city yet.
Income Category
Happiness
4.4 / 10
#113 globally
GDP per Capita
City Population
Child Education
Public-school quality, expat access, instruction language, and homeschool legality for relocating families.
Public schools
Public-schooling rules are set nationally for Tunisia; Kairouan-specific enrollment notes are still being verified.
Quality
Mixed public schools
Assessment snapshot: 2022
Expat access
Language-heavy for non-Arabic speakers
hardInstruction
Arabic / French
Language fit is more manageable.
PISA / outcomes
374
Well below OECD avg
PISA 2022 ยท OECD avg ~480
Why this quality rating
Tunisia has a reasonably structured public school system by North African standards, with Arabic and French as instruction languages. Quality varies significantly by region. International schools in Tunis serve expatriate families.
Why the expat-access rating looks like this
Enrollment is technically open to resident families, but the Arabic-first (with French) instruction model typically pushes international families toward private or international schools.
๐ Homeschooling
Legal with school enrollmentTunisia allows "individual education" with registration at the Ministry of Education. Students must take official exams at a recognized school. No mandatory curriculum at home but must meet exam standards. Growing digital nomad scene in Tunis.
Homeschool legality in Tunisia โ check current regulations before committing.
Source: User-curated family relocation research (initial seed) (2026-04-14)
Childcare & Domestic Help
Estimate-only country fallback for the family-support costs we track in Tunisia.
Full-time nanny (5 days)
$450-$650
Estimate-only country fallback
Live-in / 24-7 nanny
$850-$1,150
Estimate-only country fallback
Source: curated family relocation research(derived country fallback)
Getting Around
Neighborhood mobility profiles are rolling out city by city.Kairouan is still missing a verified walkability, transit, airport, and rideshare profile.
Healthcare
System strength, outcome signals, facility coverage, and self-pay visibility in Tunisia.
Method: country metrics come from public system indicators, facility coverage reflects mapped providers we can inventory, direct pricing only reflects observed self-pay pages, and relative care cost can fall back to broad cost-of-living healthcare indices. Sparse pricing does not imply sparse healthcare availability.
Healthcare system
GoodGood national coverage support this rating.
Public care
LimitedPatients still shoulder a meaningful share of costs weigh on this rating.
Private care
LimitedThe tracked private-style network still looks thin and self-pay pricing transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
UHC coverage
76/100
2023
Physicians
1.31/1k
2021
Hospital beds
1.82/1k
2023
Out of pocket
38%
2023
Outcome signals
Life expectancy
76.7 yrs
2024
Maternal mortality
36/100k
2023
Neonatal mortality
7.7/1k
2024
International patient readiness
LimitedPrice transparency is still sparse weigh on this rating.
Pricing transparency
LimitedPublished self-pay prices are scarce and few facilities expose web pages we can verify weigh on this rating.
Facility coverage
Self-pay pricing visibility
No verified self-pay prices are published for the tracked facilities in Tunisia yet.
This usually reflects low online price transparency rather than a lack of healthcare providers.
Notable facilities
System metrics: World Bank WDI ยท Updated 2026-06-01
Safety & Governance
Street Safety
Source: Numbeo where a city row is matched; otherwise World Bank WGI and country-level safety context.
Political Stability
World Bank WGI scale: -2.5 to +2.5.
Wages by Sector
| Sector | Median |
|---|---|
| Administrative & Support Services | โ |
| Agriculture & Farming | โ |
| Arts, Entertainment & Recreation | โ |
| Construction | โ |
| Education | โ |
| Finance & Insurance | โ |
| Healthcare & Social Work | โ |
| Hospitality & Food Service | โ |
| Information & Technology | โ |
| Manufacturing | โ |
| Mining & Quarrying | โ |
| Other Services | โ |
| Professional & Scientific Services | โ |
| Public Administration & Defence | โ |
| Real Estate | โ |
| Retail & Wholesale Trade | โ |
| Transport & Logistics | โ |
| Utilities | โ |
2019 annual wages in Kairouan, Tunisia ยท Source: ILO ILOSTAT (national)
Price Comparison vs. US
Visa Information (US passport)
Short-stay entry
US passport holders can stay up to 120 days without a visa.
Quick comparison FAQ
Structured from the deltas already shown on this page โ no invented facts, no extra data sources.
How far does your money go in Kairouan compared with the US?
Your money goes about 3.3x further in Kairouan than in the US, based on the current PPP estimate. We are using the country-level cost index for Tunisia here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
Is Kairouan cheaper or more expensive overall than New York City?
Kairouan is cheaper overall than New York City โ overall living costs are about 71% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City) for Kairouan. We are using the country-level cost index for Tunisia here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How does rent in Kairouan compare with New York City?
Rent in Kairouan is about 95% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City). We are using the country-level cost index for Tunisia here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
How expensive are groceries and restaurants in Kairouan?
Groceries in Kairouan are about 65% cheaper than the global benchmark (New York City), and restaurant prices are about 82% cheaper than the same benchmark. We are using the country-level cost index for Tunisia here because a defensible city-level aggregate index is not available yet.
About Kairouan
Kairouan is a city in central Tunisia, set on the semi-arid plain inland from Sousse and Monastir. Founded in the seventh century, it is one of the holiest cities of the Sunni Muslim world thanks to the Great Mosque of Kairouan, and its medina is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The local economy combines administration, traditional handicrafts (notably knotted carpets and leatherwork), agriculture (olives, almonds) and a modest manufacturing sector, with religious and heritage tourism providing a steady but secondary income stream. Inland location and weaker industrial base have left Kairouan with higher unemployment than the coastal cities. For foreigners, expatriate presence is limited and concentrated in heritage and development work. Climate is hot semi-arid, with hot dry summers and cool winters.
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