Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bucharest and Benghazi

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $412 a month against $1,351 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
Learn more

Benghazi Living Index

Jump to prices

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,351

/mo nomad

Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$412

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Bucharest and in Benghazi

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Bucharest and in Benghazi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,351 per month in Bucharest vs $412 in Benghazi, rent included.

Bucharest $1,351
Benghazi $412

A couple spends around $2,033 per month in Bucharest vs $695 in Benghazi, rent included.

Bucharest $2,033
Benghazi $695

A family of three spends $2,715 per month in Bucharest vs $978 in Benghazi, rent included.

Bucharest $2,715
Benghazi $978

Bucharest costs about 228% more than Benghazi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Bucharest sits 1% above the global median, while Benghazi is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.46 RON 68.4

$2.36 LYD 15.08

512.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.7 RON 273

$12.50 LYD 80.0

361.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.50 RON 35.46

$2.30 LYD 14.70

226.09%

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

$3.43 RON 16.20

$0.68 LYD 4.37

404.41%

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

$2.46 RON 11.63

$0.43 LYD 2.74

472.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 RON 11.01

$0.12 LYD 0.77

1841.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.80 RON 17.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.10 RON 19.41

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.79

$0.82 LYD 5.22

101.22%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.39

$0.19 LYD 1.22

610.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.39 LYD 8.92

28.06%

Eggs

$3.66 RON 17.33

$1.65 LYD 10.58

121.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 RON 40.54

$6.56 LYD 41.97

30.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.80 RON 32.17

$2.80 LYD 17.92

142.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.72 RON 55.4

$11.17 LYD 71.5

4.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.11

$2.27 LYD 14.52

-43.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.56 RON 7.37

$1.82 LYD 11.66

-14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.28

$1.20 LYD 7.70

28.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.48 RON 11.75

$0.69 LYD 4.40

259.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$0.85 LYD 5.45

-2.35%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.77

$0.63 LYD 4.06

26.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.98

$0.35 LYD 2.23

140.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.39

$0.23 LYD 1.47

304.35%

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)

$6.44 RON 30.45

$1.84 LYD 11.77

250.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.32 RON 29.91

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 RON 5.94

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 RON 7.59

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.13 RON 99.9

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.52 LYD 9.73

-60.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.30 LYD 1.89

103.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.19

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.96 RON 9.27

$0.02 LYD 0.14

9700.00%

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

$28.1K RON 133.1K

$12.4K LYD 79.4K

126.78%

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

$26.3K RON 124.3K

$14.9K LYD 95.1K

76.89%

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

$197 RON 931

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

$8.34 RON 39.44

$4.44 LYD 28.44

87.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 43.47

$18.29 LYD 117

-49.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.87 RON 236

$17.54 LYD 112

184.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.99 RON 118

$3.84 LYD 24.56

550.78%

Cinema Ticket

$8.46 RON 40.01

$6.06 LYD 38.75

39.60%

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

$639 RON 3,023

$78.0 LYD 499

719.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K RON 68.1K

$347 LYD 2,221

4047.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.6 RON 429

$42.51 LYD 272

113.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.05 RON 180

$34.84 LYD 223

9.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 RON 377

$42.28 LYD 271

88.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 RON 441

$69.0 LYD 442

35.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$673 RON 3,184

$186 LYD 1,191

261.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$449 RON 2,123

$115 LYD 737

289.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RON 5,195

$434 LYD 2,776

153.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$729 RON 3,448

$259 LYD 1,655

181.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,740 RON 17.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,189 RON 10.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,323 RON 6,259

$265 LYD 1,699

398.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.74

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

Last update for Bucharest: October 3, 2026

Last update for Benghazi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bucharest

$449 33.5%

Benghazi

$115 27.5% 74.3% $334

Eating Out

Bucharest

$226 16.8%

Benghazi

$36 8.6% 84% $190

Groceries & Markets

Bucharest

$222 16.5%

Benghazi

$128 30.5% 42.3% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bucharest

$214 16%

Benghazi

$23 * 5.4% 89.4% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Bucharest

$136 10.1%

Benghazi

$85 20.2% 37.4% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Bucharest

$67 5%

Benghazi

$30 7.1% 55.6% $37

Getting Around

Bucharest

$28 2.1%

Benghazi

$3 * 0.7% 89.3% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $673 in Bucharest versus $186 in Benghazi. 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 399% higher in Bucharest, 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 $58.0 in Bucharest versus $13.00 in Benghazi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $222 vs $128 – making Benghazi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🕒 Local time

08:20 8:20 AM

07:20 7:20 AM

1 h behind Bucharest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,883,425 Capital

631,555

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

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).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bucharest Benghazi 1,470 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Bucharest
Benghazi

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

Bucharest vs Benghazi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,351 in Bucharest, $412 in Benghazi – roughly 228% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,027 per month in Bucharest and $618 in Benghazi. 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 $1,351 in Bucharest and $412 in Benghazi. That's a gap of about 228%.

Kindergarten costs $639 per month in Bucharest and $78.0 in Benghazi. 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 Bucharest at $1,351. In Benghazi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Bucharest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Bucharest has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $412 in Benghazi to $1,351 in Bucharest. 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, Bucharest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.