Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benghazi and Austin, TX

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.

20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
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Benghazi Living Index
129

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

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Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$412

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Benghazi and in Austin, TX

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

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

Benghazi $412
Austin, TX $2,704

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

Benghazi $695
Austin, TX $4,133

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

Benghazi $978
Austin, TX $5,562

Living in Benghazi costs roughly 85% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.36 LYD 15.08

$20.22 $20.22

-88.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.50 LYD 80.0

$85.0 $85.0

-85.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.30 LYD 14.70

$12.35 $12.35

-81.38%

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

$0.68 LYD 4.37

$5.47 $5.47

-87.57%

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

$0.43 LYD 2.74

$3.82 $3.82

-88.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 LYD 0.77

$2.50 $2.50

-95.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 LYD 5.22

$1.13 $1.13

-27.43%

White Bread (500g)

$0.19 LYD 1.22

$3.78 $3.78

-94.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 LYD 8.92

$3.25 $3.25

-57.23%

Eggs

$1.65 LYD 10.58

$4.14 $4.14

-60.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.56 LYD 41.97

$13.08 $13.08

-49.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.80 LYD 17.92

$14.31 $14.31

-80.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.17 LYD 71.5

$15.96 $15.96

-30.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 LYD 14.52

$4.38 $4.38

-48.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 LYD 11.66

$1.45 $1.45

25.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 LYD 7.70

$4.54 $4.54

-73.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 LYD 4.40

$4.19 $4.19

-83.53%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 LYD 5.45

$2.63 $2.63

-67.68%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 LYD 4.06

$2.36 $2.36

-73.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 LYD 2.23

$1.76 $1.76

-80.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 LYD 1.47

$2.16 $2.16

-89.35%

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)

$1.84 LYD 11.77

$9.81 $9.81

-81.24%

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)

$1.52 LYD 9.73

$2.67 $2.67

-43.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 LYD 1.89

$1.58 $1.58

-81.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.14

$0.99 $0.99

-97.98%

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

$12.4K LYD 79.4K

$35.8K $35.8K

-65.33%

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

$14.9K LYD 95.1K

$27.2K $27.2K

-45.31%

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

$219 $219

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

$4.44 LYD 28.44

$58.0 $58.0

-92.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.29 LYD 117

$68.4 $68.4

-73.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.54 LYD 112

$57.9 $57.9

-69.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.84 LYD 24.56

$14.82 $14.82

-74.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.06 LYD 38.75

$14.13 $14.13

-57.11%

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

$78.0 LYD 499

$1,509 $1,509

-94.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$347 LYD 2,221

$21.5K $21.5K

-98.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.51 LYD 272

$51.7 $51.7

-17.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.84 LYD 223

$44.05 $44.05

-20.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.28 LYD 271

$85.1 $85.1

-50.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.0 LYD 442

$105 $105

-34.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$186 LYD 1,191

$1,932 $1,932

-90.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 LYD 737

$1,272 $1,272

-90.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 LYD 2,776

$3,670 $3,670

-88.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 LYD 1,655

$2,525 $2,525

-89.76%

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)

$265 LYD 1,699

$5,105 $5,105

-94.80%

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 Benghazi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Benghazi

$128 30.5%

Austin, TX

$403 15.3% 215% $275

Accommodation & Living

Benghazi

$115 27.5%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2% 1005% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Benghazi

$85 20.2%

Austin, TX

$129 4.9% 51.7% $44

Eating Out

Benghazi

$36 8.6%

Austin, TX

$348 13.2% 864% $312

Sport & Entertainment

Benghazi

$30 7.1%

Austin, TX

$86 3.3% 191% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benghazi

$23 * 5.4%

Austin, TX

$346 13.1% 1420% $323

Getting Around

Benghazi

$3 * 0.7%

Austin, TX

$57 2.2% 1800% $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 $186 in Benghazi and $1,932 in Austin, TX. 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: $13.00 in Benghazi vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $128 vs $403 per month, with Benghazi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

07:03 7:03 AM

00:03 12:03 AM

7 h behind Benghazi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,555

974,447

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to LYD – Libyan Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇾 Libyan Dinar (ل.د)

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.4 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.18 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

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

USD to LYD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Benghazi
Austin, TX

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

Benghazi vs Austin, TX: 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.

On paper, salaries run 1823% lower in Austin, TX. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $186 in Benghazi versus $1,932 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $78.0 in Benghazi versus $1,509 in Austin, TX. 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.