Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benghazi and Chennai (Madras)

For one person, living costs are similar in Benghazi and in Chennai (Madras): $424 and $416 a month, rent and utilities included.

20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
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Benghazi Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Chennai (Madras)
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Chennai (Madras) Living Index

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Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$424

/mo nomad

Chennai (Madras)

🇮🇳 India

$416

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Benghazi and in Chennai (Madras)

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 Chennai (Madras) actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $424 per month in Benghazi vs $416 in Chennai (Madras), rent included.

Benghazi $424
Chennai (Madras) $416

A couple spends around $713 per month in Benghazi vs $701 in Chennai (Madras), rent included.

Benghazi $713
Chennai (Madras) $701

A family of three spends $1,003 per month in Benghazi vs $987 in Chennai (Madras), rent included.

Benghazi $1,003
Chennai (Madras) $987

Benghazi costs about 2% more than Chennai (Madras), and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Benghazi and Chennai (Madras) are more affordable than the global median – Benghazi 69% lower, Chennai (Madras) 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.47 LYD 15.84

$2.13 ₹202

15.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.64 LYD 81.0

$12.49 ₹1,186

1.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.39 LYD 15.34

$4.31 ₹410

-44.55%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 LYD 13.63

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 LYD 2.60

Cappuccino

$0.66 LYD 4.21

$1.86 ₹177

-64.52%

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

$0.43 LYD 2.75

$0.37 ₹34.78

16.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 LYD 0.91

$0.19 ₹17.86

-26.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 ₹154

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₹291

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 LYD 4.85

$0.56 ₹53.4

35.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.15 LYD 0.93

$0.56 ₹52.8

-73.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 LYD 8.72

$0.74 ₹70.1

83.78%

Eggs

$1.65 LYD 10.55

$0.91 ₹86.2

81.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.27 LYD 40.17

$6.06 ₹575

3.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.77 LYD 17.77

$3.12 ₹296

-11.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 LYD 73.5

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 LYD 15.14

$2.92 ₹278

-19.18%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 LYD 11.74

$0.82 ₹78.2

123.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.16 LYD 7.42

$1.45 ₹138

-20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 LYD 4.50

$0.46 ₹43.23

52.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 LYD 5.24

$0.44 ₹41.94

86.36%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 LYD 4.09

$0.40 ₹37.59

60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.37 LYD 2.38

$0.51 ₹48.13

-27.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 LYD 1.47

$0.28 ₹26.27

-17.86%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.33 LYD 14.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 LYD 3.66

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 LYD 4.77

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.89 LYD 12.12

$5.12 ₹486

-63.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.57 ₹719

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₹178

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₹265

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.73 ₹639

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 ₹31.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.48 ₹995

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 LYD 10.21

$1.04 ₹98.6

52.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 LYD 2.06

$0.31 ₹29.25

3.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.08 ₹197

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.13

$1.13 ₹108

-98.23%

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

$12.6K LYD 80.6K

$11.3K ₹1.1M

11.46%

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

$14.7K LYD 94.3K

$20.3K ₹1.9M

-27.66%

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

$38.97 ₹3,701

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

$4.45 LYD 28.50

$3.92 ₹373

13.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.67 LYD 120

$8.01 ₹760

133.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.33 LYD 111

$12.53 ₹1,189

38.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.82 LYD 24.46

$6.76 ₹642

-43.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 LYD 40.94

$2.50 ₹238

155.60%

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

$76.7 LYD 492

$89.4 ₹8,491

-14.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$352 LYD 2,258

$2,131 ₹202.4K

-83.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.16 LYD 270

$20.32 ₹1,930

107.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 LYD 224

$17.00 ₹1,614

105.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.12 LYD 270

$35.93 ₹3,412

17.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.4 LYD 438

$30.04 ₹2,853

127.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$190 LYD 1,220

$179 ₹17.0K

6.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$119 LYD 762

$101 ₹9,577

17.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 LYD 2,755

$496 ₹47.1K

-13.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 LYD 1,667

$308 ₹29.3K

-15.67%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,068 ₹196.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$782 ₹74.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$268 LYD 1,718

$674 ₹64.0K

-60.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.99

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

Last update for Benghazi: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chennai (Madras): October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Benghazi

$127 30%

Chennai (Madras)

$117 28.1% 8.1% $10

Accommodation & Living

Benghazi

$119 28.1%

Chennai (Madras)

$101 24.3% 15.2% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Benghazi

$84 19.9%

Chennai (Madras)

$46 11.2% 45% $38

Eating Out

Benghazi

$37 8.8%

Chennai (Madras)

$69 16.5% 85.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Benghazi

$30 7.1%

Chennai (Madras)

$18 4.2% 41.8% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benghazi

$23 * 5.5%

Chennai (Madras)

$51 12.3% 120% $28

Getting Around

Benghazi

$3.2 * 0.8%

Chennai (Madras)

$14 3.5% 350% $11

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $190 in Benghazi versus $179 in Chennai (Madras). Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 151% higher in Chennai (Madras), which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Benghazi versus $12.00 in Chennai (Madras). Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $127 vs $117 – making Chennai (Madras) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🇮🇳 Chennai (Madras)

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

16:18 4:18 PM

3 h 30 min ahead of Benghazi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,555

4,681,087

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, USD, EUR to LYD – Libyan Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇾 Libyan Dinar (ل.د)

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

USD to LYD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Benghazi Chennai (Madras) 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Benghazi
Chennai (Madras)

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 Chennai (Madras): Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $424 in Benghazi, $416 in Chennai (Madras) – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $636 per month in Benghazi and $623 in Chennai (Madras). That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chennai (Madras), especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $424 in Benghazi and $416 in Chennai (Madras). That's a gap of about 2%.

Kindergarten costs $76.7 per month in Benghazi and $89.4 in Chennai (Madras). For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $424 in Benghazi and $416 in Chennai (Madras), leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chennai (Madras) has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $416 in Chennai (Madras) to $424 in Benghazi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chennai (Madras). If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Benghazi makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.