Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benghazi and Medellin

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $424 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
Learn more

Medellin Living Index

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Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$424

/mo nomad

Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Benghazi and in Medellin

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

A single person spends $424 per month in Benghazi vs $1,625 in Medellin, rent included.

Benghazi $424
Medellin $1,625

A couple spends around $713 per month in Benghazi vs $2,412 in Medellin, rent included.

Benghazi $713
Medellin $2,412

A family of three spends $1,003 per month in Benghazi vs $3,199 in Medellin, rent included.

Benghazi $1,003
Medellin $3,199

Benghazi is about 74% cheaper than Medellin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Benghazi sits 69% below the global median, while Medellin is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.47 LYD 15.84

$8.30 COP 26.3K

-70.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.64 LYD 81.0

$46.91 COP 148.7K

-73.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.39 LYD 15.34

$9.24 COP 29.3K

-74.13%

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

$3.05 COP 9,676

-78.36%

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

$0.43 LYD 2.75

$1.80 COP 5,707

-76.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 LYD 0.91

$1.38 COP 4,382

-89.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 LYD 4.85

$1.50 COP 4,760

-49.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.15 LYD 0.93

$2.37 COP 7,508

-93.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 LYD 8.72

$1.70 COP 5,377

-20.00%

Eggs

$1.65 LYD 10.55

$2.96 COP 9,379

-44.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.27 LYD 40.17

$10.22 COP 32.4K

-38.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.77 LYD 17.77

$9.74 COP 30.9K

-71.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 LYD 73.5

$13.90 COP 44.1K

-17.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 LYD 15.14

$4.13 COP 13.1K

-42.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 LYD 11.74

$1.53 COP 4,839

19.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.16 LYD 7.42

$2.22 COP 7,052

-47.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 LYD 4.50

$2.27 COP 7,194

-69.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 LYD 5.24

$1.99 COP 6,311

-58.79%

Onion (1kg)

$0.64 LYD 4.09

$1.67 COP 5,285

-61.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.37 LYD 2.38

$1.18 COP 3,742

-68.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 LYD 1.47

$1.24 COP 3,919

-81.45%

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

$3.87 COP 12.3K

-51.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 LYD 10.21

$1.28 COP 4,044

24.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 LYD 2.06

$2.15 COP 6,803

-85.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.13

$1.35 COP 4,288

-98.52%

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

$12.6K LYD 80.6K

$34.8K COP 110.2M

-63.83%

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

$14.7K LYD 94.3K

$34.7K COP 110.0M

-57.59%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

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

$4.45 LYD 28.50

$13.62 COP 43.2K

-67.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.67 LYD 120

$29.12 COP 92.3K

-35.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.33 LYD 111

$45.09 COP 143.0K

-61.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.82 LYD 24.46

$17.18 COP 54.5K

-77.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 LYD 40.94

$6.97 COP 22.1K

-8.32%

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

$76.7 LYD 492

$790 COP 2.5M

-90.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$352 LYD 2,258

$9,041 COP 28.7M

-96.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.16 LYD 270

$87.8 COP 278.4K

-51.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.96 LYD 224

$58.2 COP 184.4K

-39.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.12 LYD 270

$139 COP 440.7K

-69.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.4 LYD 438

$98.9 COP 313.5K

-30.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$190 LYD 1,220

$1,028 COP 3.3M

-81.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$119 LYD 762

$620 COP 2.0M

-80.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 LYD 2,755

$1,881 COP 6.0M

-77.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$260 LYD 1,667

$1,008 COP 3.2M

-74.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$268 LYD 1,718

$663 COP 2.1M

-59.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Benghazi: October 20, 2026

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Benghazi

$127 30%

Medellin

$298 18.3% 135% $171

Accommodation & Living

Benghazi

$119 28.1%

Medellin

$619 38.1% 421% $501

Clothing & Footwear

Benghazi

$84 19.9%

Medellin

$173 10.6% 105% $88

Eating Out

Benghazi

$37 8.8%

Medellin

$171 10.5% 360% $134

Sport & Entertainment

Benghazi

$30 7.1%

Medellin

$59 3.6% 96% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benghazi

$23 * 5.5%

Medellin

$209 12.9% 806% $186

Getting Around

Benghazi

$3.2 * 0.8%

Medellin

$95 5.9% 2875% $92

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 $1,028 in Medellin. 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 147% higher in Medellin, 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 $47.00 in Medellin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $127 vs $298 – making Benghazi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🇨🇴 Medellin

🕒 Local time

13:37 1:37 PM

06:37 6:37 AM

7 h behind Benghazi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,555

2,486,723

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

Colombian Peso COP $

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

COP, 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).

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

USD to LYD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Benghazi Medellin 10,170 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Benghazi
Medellin

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 Medellin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $424 in Benghazi, $1,625 in Medellin – roughly 283% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $636 per month in Benghazi and $2,437 in Medellin. 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 $1,625 in Medellin. That's a gap of about 283%.

Kindergarten costs $76.7 per month in Benghazi and $790 in Medellin. 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 Medellin at $1,625. In Benghazi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $424 in Benghazi to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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