Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benghazi and Istanbul

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $412 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index

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Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$412

/mo nomad

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Benghazi and in Istanbul

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

A single person spends $412 per month in Benghazi vs $1,526 in Istanbul, rent included.

Benghazi $412
Istanbul $1,526

A couple spends around $695 per month in Benghazi vs $2,399 in Istanbul, rent included.

Benghazi $695
Istanbul $2,399

A family of three spends $978 per month in Benghazi vs $3,272 in Istanbul, rent included.

Benghazi $978
Istanbul $3,272

Benghazi is about 73% cheaper than Istanbul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Benghazi sits 69% below the global median, while Istanbul is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.36 LYD 15.08

$11.88 ₺585

-80.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.50 LYD 80.0

$55.1 ₺2,714

-77.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.30 LYD 14.70

$9.14 ₺450

-74.84%

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

$4.24 ₺209

-83.96%

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

$0.43 LYD 2.74

$1.75 ₺86.0

-75.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 LYD 0.77

$0.54 ₺26.83

-77.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 LYD 5.22

$1.26 ₺62.1

-34.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.19 LYD 1.22

$0.95 ₺46.81

-80.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 LYD 8.92

$2.31 ₺114

-39.83%

Eggs

$1.65 LYD 10.58

$2.47 ₺122

-33.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.56 LYD 41.97

$10.55 ₺520

-37.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.80 LYD 17.92

$5.60 ₺276

-50.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.17 LYD 71.5

$21.21 ₺1,045

-47.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 LYD 14.52

$1.93 ₺95.1

17.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 LYD 11.66

$2.29 ₺113

-20.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 LYD 7.70

$1.28 ₺63.1

-6.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 LYD 4.40

$1.84 ₺90.8

-62.50%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 LYD 5.45

$0.67 ₺32.86

26.87%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 LYD 4.06

$0.59 ₺29.31

6.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 LYD 2.23

$1.33 ₺65.4

-73.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 LYD 1.47

$0.59 ₺29.10

-61.02%

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

$2.36 ₺116

-22.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 LYD 9.73

$1.35 ₺66.6

12.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 LYD 1.89

$0.85 ₺42.05

-64.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.14

$1.47 ₺72.3

-98.64%

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

$12.4K LYD 79.4K

$51.6K ₺2.5M

-75.96%

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

$14.9K LYD 95.1K

$44.4K ₺2.2M

-66.56%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

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

$4.44 LYD 28.44

$11.60 ₺572

-61.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.29 LYD 117

$16.10 ₺793

13.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.54 LYD 112

$77.3 ₺3,805

-77.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.84 LYD 24.56

$22.66 ₺1,116

-83.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.06 LYD 38.75

$8.34 ₺411

-27.34%

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

$78.0 LYD 499

$974 ₺48.0K

-91.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$347 LYD 2,221

$25.8K ₺1.3M

-98.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.51 LYD 272

$52.7 ₺2,597

-19.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.84 LYD 223

$39.16 ₺1,929

-11.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.28 LYD 271

$103 ₺5,083

-59.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.0 LYD 442

$96.6 ₺4,759

-28.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$186 LYD 1,191

$994 ₺49.0K

-81.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 LYD 737

$629 ₺31.0K

-81.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 LYD 2,776

$2,024 ₺99.7K

-78.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 LYD 1,655

$1,155 ₺56.9K

-77.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$265 LYD 1,699

$1,203 ₺59.3K

-77.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

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

Last update for Benghazi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Istanbul: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Benghazi

$128 30.5%

Istanbul

$264 17.3% 106% $136

Accommodation & Living

Benghazi

$115 27.5%

Istanbul

$629 41.2% 447% $514

Clothing & Footwear

Benghazi

$85 20.2%

Istanbul

$131 8.6% 54.6% $46

Eating Out

Benghazi

$36 8.6%

Istanbul

$218 14.3% 503% $182

Sport & Entertainment

Benghazi

$30 7.1%

Istanbul

$94 6.1% 217% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benghazi

$23 * 5.4%

Istanbul

$117 7.7% 414% $94

Getting Around

Benghazi

$3 * 0.7%

Istanbul

$75 4.9% 2412% $72

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 $994 in Istanbul. 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 353% higher in Istanbul, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $128 vs $264 – making Benghazi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

06:16 6:16 AM

1 h ahead of Benghazi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,555

15,701,602

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, 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).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 EUR).

USD to LYD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Benghazi Istanbul 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Benghazi
Istanbul

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 Istanbul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $412 in Benghazi, $1,526 in Istanbul – roughly 270% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $618 per month in Benghazi and $2,289 in Istanbul. 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 $1,526 in Istanbul. That's a gap of about 270%.

Kindergarten costs $78.0 per month in Benghazi and $974 in Istanbul. 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 Istanbul at $1,526. In Benghazi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $412 in Benghazi to $1,526 in Istanbul. 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, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.