Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Benghazi

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $412 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $27,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
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Benghazi Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$412

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX 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 Austin, TX and in Benghazi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $412 in Benghazi.

Austin, TX $2,704
Benghazi $412

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $695 in Benghazi.

Austin, TX $4,133
Benghazi $695

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $978 in Benghazi.

Austin, TX $5,562
Benghazi $978

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 556% more expensive than in Benghazi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Benghazi is 69% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$2.36 LYD 15.08

756.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$12.50 LYD 80.0

580.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$2.30 LYD 14.70

436.96%

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

$5.47 $5.47

$0.68 LYD 4.37

704.41%

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

$3.82 $3.82

$0.43 LYD 2.74

788.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.12 LYD 0.77

1983.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$0.82 LYD 5.22

37.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$0.19 LYD 1.22

1889.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.39 LYD 8.92

133.81%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.65 LYD 10.58

150.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$6.56 LYD 41.97

99.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$2.80 LYD 17.92

411.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$11.17 LYD 71.5

42.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.27 LYD 14.52

92.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$1.82 LYD 11.66

-20.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.20 LYD 7.70

278.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$0.69 LYD 4.40

507.25%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.85 LYD 5.45

209.41%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.63 LYD 4.06

274.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.35 LYD 2.23

402.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.23 LYD 1.47

839.13%

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)

$9.81 $9.81

$1.84 LYD 11.77

433.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$1.52 LYD 9.73

75.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$0.30 LYD 1.89

426.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$0.02 LYD 0.14

4850.00%

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

$35.8K $35.8K

$12.4K LYD 79.4K

188.45%

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

$27.2K $27.2K

$14.9K LYD 95.1K

82.86%

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

$219 $219

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

$58.0 $58.0

$4.44 LYD 28.44

1206.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$18.29 LYD 117

273.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$17.54 LYD 112

230.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$3.84 LYD 24.56

285.94%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$6.06 LYD 38.75

133.17%

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

$1,509 $1,509

$78.0 LYD 499

1835.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$347 LYD 2,221

6084.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$42.51 LYD 272

21.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$34.84 LYD 223

26.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$42.28 LYD 271

101.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$69.0 LYD 442

52.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$186 LYD 1,191

938.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$115 LYD 737

1004.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$434 LYD 2,776

746.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$259 LYD 1,655

876.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$265 LYD 1,699

1823.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

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

Last update for Austin, TX: 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

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Benghazi

$115 27.5% 90.9% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Benghazi

$128 30.5% 68.2% $275

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Benghazi

$36 8.6% 89.6% $312

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Benghazi

$23 * 5.4% 93.4% $323

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Benghazi

$85 20.2% 34.1% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Benghazi

$30 7.1% 65.6% $57

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Benghazi

$3 * 0.7% 94.7% $54

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 $1,932 in Austin, TX and $186 in Benghazi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1823% 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: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $13.00 in Benghazi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $128 per month, with Benghazi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

12:25 12:25 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

631,555

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇱🇾 Libyan Dinar (ل.د)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.4 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.17 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

LYD to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Benghazi 10,480 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
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

Austin, TX vs Benghazi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Benghazi wins on cost – living expenses run 556% lower than in Austin, TX. 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 1823% higher in Austin, TX, 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: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $186 in Benghazi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,509 in Austin, TX 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 $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $412 in Benghazi versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Benghazi but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Benghazi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Expats usually find Benghazi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 556% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.