Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Benghazi

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $412 a month against $1,806 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $16,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
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Benghazi Living Index

Jump to prices

Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,806

/mo nomad

Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$412

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens and in Benghazi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,806 in Athens versus $412 in Benghazi.

Athens $1,806
Benghazi $412

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,731 in Athens versus $695 in Benghazi.

Athens $2,731
Benghazi $695

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,656 in Athens versus $978 in Benghazi.

Athens $3,656
Benghazi $978

Living in Athens is roughly 338% more expensive than in Benghazi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 35% above, Benghazi is 69% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.66 €14.87

$2.36 LYD 15.08

605.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.2 €59.1

$12.50 LYD 80.0

429.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.87

$2.30 LYD 14.70

380.87%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 LYD 13.24

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 LYD 2.43

Cappuccino

$4.14 €3.69

$0.68 LYD 4.37

508.82%

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

$2.80 €2.50

$0.43 LYD 2.74

551.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 €0.51

$0.12 LYD 0.77

375.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.03

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.87

Milk (1 liter)

$1.96 €1.75

$0.82 LYD 5.22

139.02%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.19 LYD 1.22

642.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.39 LYD 8.92

103.60%

Eggs

$5.04 €4.50

$1.65 LYD 10.58

205.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.35 €13.70

$6.56 LYD 41.97

133.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.34 €9.23

$2.80 LYD 17.92

269.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.97 €16.93

$11.17 LYD 71.5

69.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.27 LYD 14.52

-4.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.82 LYD 11.66

4.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 €1.23

$1.20 LYD 7.70

15.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$0.69 LYD 4.40

218.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 €0.98

$0.85 LYD 5.45

29.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 €1.00

$0.63 LYD 4.06

79.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.35 LYD 2.23

214.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 €0.74

$0.23 LYD 1.47

260.87%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.35 LYD 15.02

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 LYD 3.32

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 LYD 4.93

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.60 €4.99

$1.84 LYD 11.77

204.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 €9.09

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.18 €1.95

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.38 €1.23

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.87 €27.55

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 €3.90

$1.52 LYD 9.73

187.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 €0.93

$0.30 LYD 1.89

246.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.11 €15.27

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.31 €2.07

$0.02 LYD 0.14

11450.00%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$12.4K LYD 79.4K

125.44%

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

$28.0K €25.0K

$14.9K LYD 95.1K

88.50%

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

$210 €187

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

$26.70 €23.83

$4.44 LYD 28.44

501.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.13 €26.89

$18.29 LYD 117

64.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.6 €48.72

$17.54 LYD 112

211.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.03 €23.23

$3.84 LYD 24.56

577.86%

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.62

$6.06 LYD 38.75

77.89%

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

$575 €513

$78.0 LYD 499

637.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.1K €11.7K

$347 LYD 2,221

3682.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.2 €83.1

$42.51 LYD 272

119.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.68 €36.30

$34.84 LYD 223

16.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €92.9

$42.28 LYD 271

146.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$128 €115

$69.0 LYD 442

85.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$756 €674

$186 LYD 1,191

306.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$652 €582

$115 LYD 737

466.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,154

$434 LYD 2,776

198.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,163 €1,038

$259 LYD 1,655

349.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,008 €3,577

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,452 €3,081

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,243 €1,110

$265 LYD 1,699

368.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

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

Last update for Athens: October 5, 2026

Last update for Benghazi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$652 36.5%

Benghazi

$115 27.5% 82.3% $537

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$315 17.6%

Benghazi

$128 30.5% 59.4% $187

Eating Out

Athens

$269 15%

Benghazi

$36 8.6% 86.6% $233

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$267 14.9%

Benghazi

$23 * 5.4% 91.5% $244

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$165 9.2%

Benghazi

$85 20.2% 48.5% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$76 4.3%

Benghazi

$30 7.1% 61.1% $47

Getting Around

Athens

$46 2.6%

Benghazi

$3 * 0.7% 93.5% $43

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 $756 in Athens and $186 in Benghazi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays 368% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $66.0 in Athens vs $13.00 in Benghazi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $315 vs $128 per month, with Benghazi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🕒 Local time

10:28 10:28 AM

09:28 9:28 AM

1 h behind Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

631,555

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Athens Benghazi 730 km ≈ 1 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Athens
Benghazi

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

Athens vs Benghazi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Benghazi wins on cost – living expenses run 338% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Benghazi the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 368% higher in Athens, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $756 in Athens versus $186 in Benghazi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $575 in Athens versus $78.0 in Benghazi. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Benghazi – a meal for two runs $13.00 versus $66.0 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $412 in Benghazi versus $1,806 in Athens, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Benghazi but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Benghazi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Benghazi delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $412 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Benghazi hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Athens and Benghazi are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Benghazi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 338% less than in Athens. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.