Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benghazi and Tripoli

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $423 a month against $541 in Tripoli, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tripoli outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
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Benghazi Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Tripoli
Learn more

Tripoli Living Index

Jump to prices

Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$423

/mo nomad

Tripoli

🇱🇾 Libya

$541

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Benghazi and in Tripoli

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

A single person spends $423 per month in Benghazi vs $541 in Tripoli, rent included.

Benghazi $423
Tripoli $541

A couple spends around $711 per month in Benghazi vs $816 in Tripoli, rent included.

Benghazi $711
Tripoli $816

A family of three spends $999 per month in Benghazi vs $1,090 in Tripoli, rent included.

Benghazi $999
Tripoli $1,090

Benghazi is about 22% cheaper than Tripoli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Benghazi and Tripoli are more affordable than the global median – Benghazi 69% lower, Tripoli 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.39 LYD 15.34

$3.78 LYD 24.19

-36.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.62 LYD 80.8

$15.74 LYD 101

-19.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.39 LYD 15.32

$2.69 LYD 17.26

-11.15%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 LYD 13.07

$0.59 LYD 3.81

245.76%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 LYD 2.57

$0.67 LYD 4.29

-40.30%

Cappuccino

$0.68 LYD 4.37

$0.44 LYD 2.81

54.55%

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

$0.47 LYD 3.02

$0.46 LYD 2.94

2.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.13 LYD 0.84

$0.13 LYD 0.81

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 LYD 4.86

$0.98 LYD 6.28

-22.45%

White Bread (500g)

$0.17 LYD 1.11

$0.20 LYD 1.28

-15.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 LYD 8.94

$1.23 LYD 7.85

13.01%

Eggs

$1.65 LYD 10.59

$1.42 LYD 9.09

16.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.35 LYD 40.67

$5.11 LYD 32.76

24.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 LYD 17.28

$3.51 LYD 22.51

-23.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.34 LYD 72.6

$9.24 LYD 59.2

22.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 LYD 14.94

$2.31 LYD 14.81

0.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.81 LYD 11.59

$1.48 LYD 9.46

22.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 LYD 7.59

$0.74 LYD 4.72

59.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.74 LYD 4.74

$0.56 LYD 3.60

32.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 LYD 5.15

$0.75 LYD 4.82

6.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.61 LYD 3.90

$0.49 LYD 3.16

24.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.37 LYD 2.39

$0.39 LYD 2.50

-5.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 LYD 1.48

$0.20 LYD 1.26

15.00%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.31 LYD 14.83

$1.80 LYD 11.54

28.33%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 LYD 3.39

$0.97 LYD 6.23

-45.36%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 LYD 5.08

$0.82 LYD 5.22

-3.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.86 LYD 11.92

$1.91 LYD 12.22

-2.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 LYD 2.07

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.60 LYD 10.24

$0.80 LYD 5.11

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 LYD 2.07

$0.48 LYD 3.08

-33.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.12

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

$12.5K LYD 80.2K

$23.7K LYD 151.9K

-47.19%

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

$15.0K LYD 96.4K

$20.9K LYD 133.8K

-27.94%

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

$93.3 LYD 598

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

$4.31 LYD 27.63

$6.16 LYD 39.48

-30.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.43 LYD 118

$27.10 LYD 174

-31.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.62 LYD 113

$24.45 LYD 157

-27.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.94 LYD 25.25

$2.30 LYD 14.71

71.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.19 LYD 39.67

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

$76.9 LYD 493

$51.6 LYD 331

48.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$353 LYD 2,265

$1,547 LYD 9,913

-77.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.70 LYD 274

$22.33 LYD 143

91.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.20 LYD 226

$17.20 LYD 110

104.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.47 LYD 272

$65.2 LYD 417

-34.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.2 LYD 443

$67.2 LYD 430

2.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$184 LYD 1,179

$362 LYD 2,318

-49.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$118 LYD 755

$146 LYD 938

-19.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$429 LYD 2,750

$612 LYD 3,922

-29.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$256 LYD 1,643

$261 LYD 1,671

-1.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$267 LYD 1,708

$257 LYD 1,648

3.62%

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

Last update for Benghazi: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tripoli: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Benghazi

$127 30%

Tripoli

$116 21.5% 8.3% $11

Accommodation & Living

Benghazi

$118 27.9%

Tripoli

$146 27% 24.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Benghazi

$85 20.2%

Tripoli

$77 14.3% 9.3% $8

Eating Out

Benghazi

$37 8.7%

Tripoli

$46 8.5% 24.3% $9

Sport & Entertainment

Benghazi

$30 7.1%

Tripoli

$24 * 4.5% 18.5% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benghazi

$23 * 5.4%

Tripoli

$127 23.4% 456% $104

Getting Around

Benghazi

$3.2 * 0.8%

Tripoli

$4.5 * 0.8% 39.4% $1.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $184 in Benghazi versus $362 in Tripoli. 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 4% higher in Benghazi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Benghazi versus $16.00 in Tripoli. Groceries tell a different story – $127 in Benghazi vs $116 in Tripoli – so Tripoli wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🇱🇾 Tripoli

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

Same time as Benghazi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,555

2,127,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Benghazi Tripoli 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Benghazi
Tripoli

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 Tripoli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $423 in Benghazi, $541 in Tripoli – roughly 28% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $634 per month in Benghazi and $812 in Tripoli. 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 $423 in Benghazi and $541 in Tripoli. That's a gap of about 28%.

Kindergarten costs $76.9 per month in Benghazi and $51.6 in Tripoli. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $423 in Benghazi and $541 in Tripoli, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Benghazi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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