Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benghazi and Sofia

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $412 a month against $1,589 in Sofia, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 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
78

Cost of Living Index in Sofia
Learn more

Sofia Living Index

Jump to prices

Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$412

/mo nomad

Sofia

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Benghazi and in Sofia

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

A single person spends $412 per month in Benghazi vs $1,589 in Sofia, rent included.

Benghazi $412
Sofia $1,589

A couple spends around $695 per month in Benghazi vs $2,456 in Sofia, rent included.

Benghazi $695
Sofia $2,456

A family of three spends $978 per month in Benghazi vs $3,324 in Sofia, rent included.

Benghazi $978
Sofia $3,324

Benghazi is about 74% cheaper than Sofia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Benghazi sits 69% below the global median, while Sofia is 19% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.36 LYD 15.08

$17.10 BGN 29.93

-86.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.50 LYD 80.0

$66.9 BGN 117

-81.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.30 LYD 14.70

$11.77 BGN 20.59

-80.46%

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

$3.42 BGN 5.99

-80.12%

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

$0.43 LYD 2.74

$2.42 BGN 4.23

-82.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.12 LYD 0.77

$1.86 BGN 3.26

-93.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.33 BGN 5.83

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.53 BGN 7.92

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 LYD 5.22

$1.92 BGN 3.36

-57.29%

White Bread (500g)

$0.19 LYD 1.22

$1.51 BGN 2.64

-87.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 LYD 8.92

$2.21 BGN 3.88

-37.10%

Eggs

$1.65 LYD 10.58

$4.40 BGN 7.69

-62.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.56 LYD 41.97

$11.56 BGN 20.22

-43.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.80 LYD 17.92

$8.79 BGN 15.38

-68.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.17 LYD 71.5

$16.97 BGN 29.71

-34.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.27 LYD 14.52

$2.17 BGN 3.79

4.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 LYD 11.66

$2.04 BGN 3.57

-10.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.20 LYD 7.70

$1.84 BGN 3.22

-34.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 LYD 4.40

$4.29 BGN 7.51

-83.92%

Potato (1kg)

$0.85 LYD 5.45

$1.03 BGN 1.80

-17.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.63 LYD 4.06

$0.93 BGN 1.62

-32.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 LYD 2.23

$1.20 BGN 2.11

-70.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 LYD 1.47

$0.92 BGN 1.62

-75.00%

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

$4.30 BGN 7.53

-57.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.33 BGN 12.83

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 BGN 2.06

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 BGN 3.28

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 BGN 1.52

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.14 BGN 49.24

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 LYD 9.73

$1.74 BGN 3.04

-12.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 LYD 1.89

$0.96 BGN 1.68

-68.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$15.54 BGN 27.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.14

$1.79 BGN 3.14

-98.88%

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

$12.4K LYD 79.4K

$30.0K BGN 52.5K

-58.60%

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

$14.9K LYD 95.1K

$26.4K BGN 46.1K

-43.63%

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

$156 BGN 273

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

$4.44 LYD 28.44

$21.21 BGN 37.11

-79.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.29 LYD 117

$15.64 BGN 27.37

16.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.54 LYD 112

$46.76 BGN 81.8

-62.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.84 LYD 24.56

$27.74 BGN 48.54

-86.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.06 LYD 38.75

$10.02 BGN 17.53

-39.52%

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

$78.0 LYD 499

$766 BGN 1,341

-89.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$347 LYD 2,221

$12.8K BGN 22.4K

-97.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.51 LYD 272

$89.7 BGN 157

-52.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.84 LYD 223

$40.88 BGN 71.5

-14.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.28 LYD 271

$106 BGN 186

-60.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.0 LYD 442

$105 BGN 183

-34.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$186 LYD 1,191

$796 BGN 1,393

-76.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 LYD 737

$607 BGN 1,063

-81.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 LYD 2,776

$1,563 BGN 2,735

-72.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 LYD 1,655

$1,060 BGN 1,855

-75.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,357 BGN 7,626

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,250 BGN 5,688

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$265 LYD 1,699

$1,740 BGN 3,044

-84.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.89

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

Last update for Benghazi: October 4, 2026

Last update for Sofia: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Benghazi

$128 30.5%

Sofia

$287 17.9% 125% $159

Accommodation & Living

Benghazi

$115 27.5%

Sofia

$607 37.9% 428% $492

Clothing & Footwear

Benghazi

$85 20.2%

Sofia

$154 9.6% 80.9% $69

Eating Out

Benghazi

$36 8.6%

Sofia

$256 16% 609% $220

Sport & Entertainment

Benghazi

$30 7.1%

Sofia

$67 4.2% 125% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benghazi

$23 * 5.4%

Sofia

$193 12% 748% $170

Getting Around

Benghazi

$3 * 0.7%

Sofia

$38 2.4% 1172% $35

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 $796 in Sofia. 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 556% higher in Sofia, 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 $67.0 in Sofia. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $128 vs $287 – making Benghazi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🇧🇬 Sofia

🕒 Local time

05:06 5:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

1 h ahead of Benghazi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,555

1,286,383 Capital

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, 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).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to LYD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Benghazi Sofia 1,210 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Benghazi
Sofia

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 Sofia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $412 in Benghazi, $1,589 in Sofia – roughly 285% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $618 per month in Benghazi and $2,384 in Sofia. 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 $1,589 in Sofia. That's a gap of about 285%.

Kindergarten costs $78.0 per month in Benghazi and $766 in Sofia. 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 Sofia at $1,589. In Benghazi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sofia it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Sofia has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $412 in Benghazi to $1,589 in Sofia. 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, Sofia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.