Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benghazi and Zawiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $420 a month against $441 in Zawiya, rent and utilities included – about $250 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Zawiya outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
Learn more

Benghazi Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Zawiya
Learn more

Zawiya Living Index

Jump to prices

Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$420

/mo nomad

Zawiya

🇱🇾 Libya

$441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Benghazi and in Zawiya

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

A single person spends $420 per month in Benghazi vs $441 in Zawiya, rent included.

Benghazi $420
Zawiya $441

A couple spends around $706 per month in Benghazi vs $686 in Zawiya, rent included.

Benghazi $706
Zawiya $686

A family of three spends $992 per month in Benghazi vs $930 in Zawiya, rent included.

Benghazi $992
Zawiya $930

Benghazi is about 5% cheaper than Zawiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Benghazi and Zawiya are more affordable than the global median – Benghazi 69% lower, Zawiya 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.39 LYD 15.30

$2.30 LYD 14.74

3.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.49 LYD 80.1

$15.47 LYD 99.2

-19.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.37 LYD 15.16

$2.71 LYD 17.39

-12.55%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.04 LYD 13.06

$0.45 LYD 2.87

353.33%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 LYD 2.62

$0.65 LYD 4.14

-36.92%

Cappuccino

$0.70 LYD 4.50

$0.44 LYD 2.82

59.09%

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

$0.43 LYD 2.77

$0.44 LYD 2.84

-2.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.14 LYD 0.90

$0.11 LYD 0.71

27.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 LYD 4.87

$0.91 LYD 5.82

-16.48%

White Bread (500g)

$0.19 LYD 1.19

$0.20 LYD 1.28

-5.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 LYD 9.07

$1.01 LYD 6.50

39.60%

Eggs

$1.69 LYD 10.86

$1.35 LYD 8.66

25.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.32 LYD 40.49

$4.74 LYD 30.38

33.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.80 LYD 17.92

$3.57 LYD 22.88

-21.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.21 LYD 71.8

$8.86 LYD 56.8

26.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 LYD 14.73

$2.02 LYD 12.92

13.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 LYD 11.06

$1.47 LYD 9.44

17.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.19 LYD 7.64

$0.70 LYD 4.49

70.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.75 LYD 4.84

$0.51 LYD 3.27

47.06%

Potato (1kg)

$0.82 LYD 5.26

$0.58 LYD 3.72

41.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 LYD 3.81

$0.26 LYD 1.64

126.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.35 LYD 2.22

$0.30 LYD 1.91

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.23 LYD 1.48

$0.16 LYD 1.05

43.75%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.41 LYD 15.44

$0.79 LYD 5.07

205.06%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 LYD 3.60

$0.72 LYD 4.59

-22.22%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 LYD 5.08

$0.75 LYD 4.83

5.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.83 LYD 11.75

$1.67 LYD 10.71

9.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 LYD 4.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.22 LYD 251

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.54 LYD 9.85

$0.75 LYD 4.79

105.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 LYD 1.90

$0.45 LYD 2.87

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 LYD 14.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.14

$0.02 LYD 0.12

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

$12.3K LYD 79.0K

$15.5K LYD 99.4K

-20.48%

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

$14.7K LYD 94.1K

$16.8K LYD 107.4K

-12.40%

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

$94.4 LYD 605

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

$4.50 LYD 28.86

$5.57 LYD 35.69

-19.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.51 LYD 119

$12.25 LYD 78.5

51.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.63 LYD 113

$17.31 LYD 111

1.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.81 LYD 24.41

$4.01 LYD 25.70

-4.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.35 LYD 40.67

$3.92 LYD 25.15

61.99%

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

$78.6 LYD 504

$51.5 LYD 330

52.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$350 LYD 2,240

$897 LYD 5,749

-61.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$41.65 LYD 267

$20.81 LYD 133

100.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.51 LYD 221

$44.19 LYD 283

-21.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.93 LYD 275

$30.99 LYD 199

38.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$68.4 LYD 438

$31.62 LYD 203

116.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$188 LYD 1,203

$88.9 LYD 570

111.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$115 LYD 740

$58.4 LYD 375

97.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$435 LYD 2,790

$164 LYD 1,049

166.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$253 LYD 1,621

$121 LYD 772

109.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$347 LYD 2,227

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$98.1 LYD 629

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$263 LYD 1,686

$251 LYD 1,609

4.82%

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

Last update for Benghazi: October 27, 2026

Last update for Zawiya: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Benghazi

$127 30.2%

Zawiya

$109 24.7% 14% $18

Accommodation & Living

Benghazi

$115 27.5%

Zawiya

$58 13.2% 49.4% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Benghazi

$84 20.1%

Zawiya

$57 13% 31.9% $27

Eating Out

Benghazi

$37 8.8%

Zawiya

$34 7.7% 7.8% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Benghazi

$30 7.2%

Zawiya

$25 5.7% 17.1% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benghazi

$23 * 5.5%

Zawiya

$112 25.4% 388% $89

Getting Around

Benghazi

$3 * 0.7%

Zawiya

$45 10.2% 1396% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $188 in Benghazi versus $89 in Zawiya. 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 5% 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 $12 in Benghazi versus $15 in Zawiya. Groceries tell a different story – $127 in Benghazi vs $109 in Zawiya – so Zawiya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🇱🇾 Zawiya

🕒 Local time

03:02 3:02 AM

Same time as Benghazi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,555

318,726

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.14 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.14 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Benghazi Zawiya 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Benghazi
Zawiya

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 Zawiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $420 in Benghazi, $441 in Zawiya – Benghazi comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $629 per month in Benghazi and $662 in Zawiya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zawiya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $89 there versus $188 in Benghazi.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $420 in Benghazi and $441 in Zawiya. That makes Benghazi about 5% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $79 per month in Benghazi and $51 in Zawiya. 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 $420 in Benghazi and $441 in Zawiya, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.