Algiers - Post Report Question and Answers
What is your housing like? What are typical housing sizes, locations, and commute times for expatriates?
In my opinion, housing is meh and filling out the housing survey does not seem to matter. I also think most people in Algiers are not happy with their housing. - Dec 2021
In my opinion, housing in Algeria could be better. Apartments lack light and outdoor space. It was very hard, especially with COVID restrictions. - Oct 2021
Housing is generally great. It can really depend on the age of the apartment/house you get in terms of maintenance issues. I am in a middle-aged apartment and I feel like every other week something needs to get fixed (appliances or leaks or other things). I do love that generally the housing is large (I am single and was given three bedrooms) and often has outdoor space (I have a medium-sized garden area). Most houses are within 10-15 minute commute to the Embassy. - Aug 2021
We love our house. It's a free-standing, two-level, 4 bedroom house with ample storage, a patio, and a small yard/garden. It's in a sort of cute and quiet Algerian neighborhood.. Most of the Embassy housing is clustered into two "fancy" neighborhoods (they're not fancy by our standards but Algerians would consider them so). There are mostly apartments in the housing pool, but I think they're all pretty nice, large, well-maintained. Most, but not all, have some outdoor space. There is no embassy housing in what would be considered downtown. Because Algiers is situated on hills overlooking a Mediterranean bay, there are beaucoup views. Unfortunately, very few of the embassy houses have these views. Commute time for everyone is about the same: 20-35 minutes on foot, 5-20 minutes by car (depending on traffic). - Apr 2021
Keep expectations low. Algiers is not a travel or restaurant city, nor is there much else to do here. I would have thought good housing would be key to attract and keep people here, but this does not seem to be the case. Housing seems to be of poor quality, and many apartments below ground with terrible phone connectivity. A simple way to attract folks here would be get the best housing options, and give everyone a good view. After all, most people's lives here revolve around their homes. - Oct 2020
Substandard in my opinion. Housing is often times surrounded by construction sites. Apartments in the housing pool seem old and dated, and are in noisy neighborhoods located on busy streets with lots of vehicular noise. Furnishings and appliances are old and dated. Commute times vary but it could take up to 30 stress-filled minutes to drive the two miles to the office. Driving seems to be Kamikaze-style here, with drivers swerving from one lane to the next and not looking when they do it. It seems to be a free for all with no real road rules in place or traffic lights. This may explain why most every vehicle you see is dented and scratched up. - Oct 2020
Like everywhere, it varies. It's OK but unless you're the DCM or Ambassador or very very lucky, don't expect luxury. Commute times are generally short, between 5-20 minutes for just about everyone. Houses are located in the nicer neighborhoods of Algiers, which are honestly not that nice, especially for an upper-middle income country. - Sep 2019
Housing is divided between apartments and a few single family homes. Most apartments are large and comfortable; single-family homes are a bit larger with small gardens. Parking can be an issue so a smaller car is better. My commute to work is general less then 15 minutes via car. The housing in Algiers in general does not come with large yards. - Mar 2019
The apartments are not huge but post's housing folks really go all out to secure what little stand-out options Algiers' strained housing market offers. They try to have either nice views, or nice layouts, or easy access to groceries, or other little pleasant features to perk up the place. The furthest are a half hour or so walk from the Embassy. Car commute times are typically 1/2 or a third of the walking time but can sometimes be really jammed up. - Sep 2016
Embassy housing has greatly improved over the last two years thanks to efforts of the GSO. That being said temper your expectations. You probably won't have a view and apartments tend to be small with little storage. There are very few stand alone houses. Housing is very limited and extremely expensive in Algiers and as a result no house in the Embassy pool is perfect. You may be near grocery shopping but far from the Embassy. Or vice versa.
All housing is within a maximum 30 minute walk of the Embassy. Commute times vary depending on time of day and traffic, but anywhere from 5 minutes to 30 minutes. - Jun 2016
It's all apartments, usually no more than 2 miles or so from the Embassy, and many are walkable. Traffic is horrific; a two mile drive can take anywhere from 5-30 minutes. There are lots of random police checkpoints on the streets, which also slow things down. - Mar 2014
Every apartment has its own problems; some internet problems (slow or password gets shared with other people in the building because internet goes out). In other buildings, you have to call neighbors in the building when are showering so you have hot water. The housing is from 800-1200 sqft and the GSO purchased the same furniture for all housing (this means you will have to have furniture in the hallway if you have one of the 800 sqft apartments). - Oct 2013
Embassy housing was either on the compound, or not far from the embassy. Commute times could vary, as traffic could be quite bad. There were surely times when walking to the Embassy would have taken less time than driving. - Dec 2011
We lived in a lovely 4 bedroom apartment in Les Dunes over-looking the sea. It was devine. - Sep 2008
Big villas, the market is quite expensive. Residential areas are close to main offices. - May 2008
There are multi family and single family houses. Commute times can range from 7 minutes to over 30 depending on the time of day. Most homes are located 1-3 miles from the Embassy. - Mar 2008
I live in off-campus housing and I love it. The off-campus apartments seem adequate as well and the on-campus housing is comfortable. - Mar 2008
For DOS employees, housing is fairly nice. There are 24 apartments in the American Residence Compound (ARC) with 2 bedrooms and varying floorplans. The storage space is limited. There are a few apartment buildings off post with an average of three apartments per buildings. They seem to be nice as well, though parking and storage are always difficult. - Feb 2008
