Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benghazi and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $424 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
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Benghazi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$424

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Benghazi and in Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $424 per month in Benghazi vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Benghazi $424
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $713 per month in Benghazi vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Benghazi $713
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,003 per month in Benghazi vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Benghazi $1,003
Chiang Mai $1,903

Benghazi is about 54% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Benghazi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Benghazi 69% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.47 LYD 15.84

$2.29 ฿76.5

7.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.64 LYD 81.0

$19.64 ฿656

-35.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.39 LYD 15.34

$5.61 ฿188

-57.40%

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

$1.66 ฿55.6

-60.24%

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

$0.43 LYD 2.75

$0.70 ฿23.40

-38.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 LYD 0.91

$0.31 ฿10.24

-54.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 LYD 4.85

$1.95 ฿65.3

-61.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.15 LYD 0.93

$1.41 ฿47.03

-89.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 LYD 8.72

$1.31 ฿43.62

3.82%

Eggs

$1.65 LYD 10.55

$2.18 ฿72.9

-24.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.27 LYD 40.17

$16.65 ฿556

-62.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.77 LYD 17.77

$2.76 ฿92.2

0.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 LYD 73.5

$9.11 ฿304

25.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 LYD 15.14

$2.39 ฿80.0

-1.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 LYD 11.74

$1.03 ฿34.26

77.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.16 LYD 7.42

$1.63 ฿54.4

-28.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 LYD 4.50

$1.50 ฿50.0

-53.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 LYD 5.24

$1.29 ฿43.13

-36.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 LYD 4.09

$1.11 ฿37.03

-42.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.37 LYD 2.38

$0.72 ฿24.08

-48.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 LYD 1.47

$0.53 ฿17.59

-56.60%

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

$4.31 ฿144

-56.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 LYD 10.21

$1.21 ฿40.29

31.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 LYD 2.06

$0.57 ฿18.99

-43.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.13

$1.44 ฿47.96

-98.61%

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

$12.6K LYD 80.6K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

-39.34%

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

$14.7K LYD 94.3K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-45.11%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

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

$4.45 LYD 28.50

$12.11 ฿405

-63.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.67 LYD 120

$19.94 ฿666

-6.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.33 LYD 111

$37.07 ฿1,239

-53.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.82 LYD 24.46

$3.78 ฿126

1.06%

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 LYD 40.94

$6.50 ฿217

-1.69%

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

$76.7 LYD 492

$793 ฿26.5K

-90.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$352 LYD 2,258

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-97.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.16 LYD 270

$53.7 ฿1,796

-21.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 LYD 224

$24.62 ฿823

42.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.12 LYD 270

$90.9 ฿3,036

-53.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.4 LYD 438

$71.1 ฿2,378

-3.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$190 LYD 1,220

$455 ฿15.2K

-58.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$119 LYD 762

$298 ฿9,954

-60.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 LYD 2,755

$908 ฿30.4K

-52.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 LYD 1,667

$554 ฿18.5K

-53.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$268 LYD 1,718

$591 ฿19.7K

-54.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Benghazi: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Benghazi

$127 30%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 85.3% $108

Accommodation & Living

Benghazi

$119 28.1%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 151% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Benghazi

$84 19.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 28.1% $24

Eating Out

Benghazi

$37 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 112% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Benghazi

$30 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 66.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benghazi

$23 * 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 308% $71

Getting Around

Benghazi

$3.2 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1799% $58

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 $455 in Chiang Mai. 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 120% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Benghazi versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $127 vs $235 – making Benghazi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:23 4:23 PM

21:23 9:23 PM

5 h ahead of Benghazi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,555

127,240

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to LYD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Benghazi Chiang Mai 7,890 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Benghazi
Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $424 in Benghazi, $925 in Chiang Mai – roughly 118% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $636 per month in Benghazi and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Benghazi, 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 $925 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 118%.

Kindergarten costs $76.7 per month in Benghazi and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Benghazi, where all-in costs run around $424, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Benghazi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $424 in Benghazi to $925 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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