Algeria

Algeria is the largest country in Africa: a Mediterranean coast in the north, the Kabylie mountains, and the Sahara covering almost everything else. Local prices are low and fuel is cheap, while international-standard housing and imported goods cost disproportionately more. The coast has mild rainy winters and hot summers, while the desert swings between daytime heat and cold nights. A visa is arranged in advance, tourist infrastructure is thin, and getting by without French or Arabic is hard.