Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benghazi and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $412 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $29,300 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
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$412

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Benghazi and in Dubai

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

A single person spends $412 per month in Benghazi vs $2,854 in Dubai, rent included.

Benghazi $412
Dubai $2,854

A couple spends around $695 per month in Benghazi vs $4,321 in Dubai, rent included.

Benghazi $695
Dubai $4,321

A family of three spends $978 per month in Benghazi vs $5,788 in Dubai, rent included.

Benghazi $978
Dubai $5,788

Benghazi is about 86% cheaper than Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Benghazi sits 69% below the global median, while Dubai is 113% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.36 LYD 15.08

$13.04 AED 47.89

-81.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.50 LYD 80.0

$81.4 AED 299

-84.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.30 LYD 14.70

$9.32 AED 34.25

-75.32%

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

$5.97 AED 21.93

-88.61%

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

$0.43 LYD 2.74

$1.63 AED 5.98

-73.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 LYD 0.77

$0.81 AED 2.99

-85.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 LYD 5.22

$1.81 AED 6.64

-54.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.19 LYD 1.22

$1.57 AED 5.78

-87.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 LYD 8.92

$2.49 AED 9.16

-44.18%

Eggs

$1.65 LYD 10.58

$3.28 AED 12.04

-49.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.56 LYD 41.97

$12.67 AED 46.53

-48.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.80 LYD 17.92

$9.75 AED 35.80

-71.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.17 LYD 71.5

$13.18 AED 48.40

-15.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 LYD 14.52

$2.61 AED 9.57

-13.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 LYD 11.66

$1.93 AED 7.09

-5.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 LYD 7.70

$1.92 AED 7.05

-37.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 LYD 4.40

$1.36 AED 5.00

-49.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 LYD 5.45

$1.17 AED 4.29

-27.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 LYD 4.06

$1.01 AED 3.71

-37.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 LYD 2.23

$1.51 AED 5.56

-76.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 LYD 1.47

$0.62 AED 2.29

-62.90%

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

$5.85 AED 21.50

-68.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 LYD 9.73

$3.17 AED 11.66

-52.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 LYD 1.89

$0.71 AED 2.63

-57.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.14

$0.99 AED 3.64

-97.98%

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

$12.4K LYD 79.4K

$27.4K AED 100.5K

-54.65%

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

$14.9K LYD 95.1K

$22.5K AED 82.8K

-34.06%

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

$250 AED 920

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

$4.44 LYD 28.44

$54.2 AED 199

-91.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.29 LYD 117

$91.8 AED 337

-80.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.54 LYD 112

$98.6 AED 362

-82.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.84 LYD 24.56

$42.61 AED 156

-90.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.06 LYD 38.75

$16.03 AED 58.9

-62.20%

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

$78.0 LYD 499

$843 AED 3,098

-90.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$347 LYD 2,221

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-98.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.51 LYD 272

$68.0 AED 250

-37.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.84 LYD 223

$57.9 AED 213

-39.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.28 LYD 271

$101 AED 370

-58.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.0 LYD 442

$101 AED 371

-31.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$186 LYD 1,191

$2,380 AED 8,741

-92.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 LYD 737

$1,506 AED 5,531

-92.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 LYD 2,776

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-90.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 LYD 1,655

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-91.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$265 LYD 1,699

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-92.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

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

Last update for Benghazi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Benghazi

$128 30.5%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 129% $165

Accommodation & Living

Benghazi

$115 27.5%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 1208% $1.4K

Clothing & Footwear

Benghazi

$85 20.2%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 73.6% $62

Eating Out

Benghazi

$36 8.6%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 755% $273

Sport & Entertainment

Benghazi

$30 7.1%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 341% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benghazi

$23 * 5.4%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 1643% $374

Getting Around

Benghazi

$3 * 0.7%

Dubai

$87 3% 2798% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $186 in Benghazi versus $2,380 in Dubai. 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 1178% higher in Dubai, 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 $81.0 in Dubai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $128 vs $293 – making Benghazi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

05:09 5:09 AM

07:09 7:09 AM

2 h ahead of Benghazi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,555

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, 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).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to LYD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Benghazi Dubai 3,500 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Benghazi
Dubai

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 Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $412 in Benghazi, $2,854 in Dubai – roughly 592% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $618 per month in Benghazi and $4,281 in Dubai. 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 $412 in Benghazi and $2,854 in Dubai. That's a gap of about 592%.

Kindergarten costs $78.0 per month in Benghazi and $843 in Dubai. 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 $412, than in Dubai at $2,854. In Benghazi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dubai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $412 in Benghazi to $2,854 in Dubai. 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, Dubai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.