Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chennai (Madras) and Benghazi

For one person, living costs are similar in Chennai (Madras) and in Benghazi: $416 and $424 a month, rent and utilities included.

20

Cost of Living Index in Chennai (Madras)
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Chennai (Madras) Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
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Benghazi Living Index

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Chennai (Madras)

🇮🇳 India

$416

/mo nomad

Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$424

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chennai (Madras) 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 Chennai (Madras) and in Benghazi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $416 per month in Chennai (Madras) vs $424 in Benghazi, rent included.

Chennai (Madras) $416
Benghazi $424

A couple spends around $701 per month in Chennai (Madras) vs $713 in Benghazi, rent included.

Chennai (Madras) $701
Benghazi $713

A family of three spends $987 per month in Chennai (Madras) vs $1,003 in Benghazi, rent included.

Chennai (Madras) $987
Benghazi $1,003

Chennai (Madras) is about 2% cheaper than Benghazi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chennai (Madras) and Benghazi are more affordable than the global median – Chennai (Madras) 69% lower, Benghazi 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ₹202

$2.47 LYD 15.84

-13.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.49 ₹1,186

$12.64 LYD 81.0

-1.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.31 ₹410

$2.39 LYD 15.34

80.33%

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

$1.86 ₹177

$0.66 LYD 4.21

181.82%

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

$0.37 ₹34.78

$0.43 LYD 2.75

-13.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.19 ₹17.86

$0.14 LYD 0.91

35.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.62 ₹154

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 ₹291

Milk (1 liter)

$0.56 ₹53.4

$0.76 LYD 4.85

-26.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 ₹52.8

$0.15 LYD 0.93

273.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 ₹70.1

$1.36 LYD 8.72

-45.59%

Eggs

$0.91 ₹86.2

$1.65 LYD 10.55

-44.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.06 ₹575

$6.27 LYD 40.17

-3.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.12 ₹296

$2.77 LYD 17.77

12.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.47 LYD 73.5

Apples (1kg)

$2.92 ₹278

$2.36 LYD 15.14

23.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 ₹78.2

$1.83 LYD 11.74

-55.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ₹138

$1.16 LYD 7.42

25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.46 ₹43.23

$0.70 LYD 4.50

-34.29%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 ₹41.94

$0.82 LYD 5.24

-46.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.40 ₹37.59

$0.64 LYD 4.09

-37.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 ₹48.13

$0.37 LYD 2.38

37.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.28 ₹26.27

$0.23 LYD 1.47

21.74%

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)

$5.12 ₹486

$1.89 LYD 12.12

170.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.57 ₹719

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 ₹178

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₹265

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.73 ₹639

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 ₹31.60

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.48 ₹995

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.04 ₹98.6

$1.59 LYD 10.21

-34.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 ₹29.25

$0.32 LYD 2.06

-3.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.08 ₹197

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 ₹108

$0.02 LYD 0.13

5550.00%

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

$11.3K ₹1.1M

$12.6K LYD 80.6K

-10.28%

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

$20.3K ₹1.9M

$14.7K LYD 94.3K

38.23%

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

$38.97 ₹3,701

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

$3.92 ₹373

$4.45 LYD 28.50

-11.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.01 ₹760

$18.67 LYD 120

-57.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$12.53 ₹1,189

$17.33 LYD 111

-27.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.76 ₹642

$3.82 LYD 24.46

76.96%

Cinema Ticket

$2.50 ₹238

$6.39 LYD 40.94

-60.88%

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

$89.4 ₹8,491

$76.7 LYD 492

16.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,131 ₹202.4K

$352 LYD 2,258

504.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.32 ₹1,930

$42.16 LYD 270

-51.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.00 ₹1,614

$34.96 LYD 224

-51.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$35.93 ₹3,412

$42.12 LYD 270

-14.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$30.04 ₹2,853

$68.4 LYD 438

-56.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$179 ₹17.0K

$190 LYD 1,220

-5.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$101 ₹9,577

$119 LYD 762

-15.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$496 ₹47.1K

$430 LYD 2,755

15.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$308 ₹29.3K

$260 LYD 1,667

18.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,068 ₹196.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$782 ₹74.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$674 ₹64.0K

$268 LYD 1,718

151.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.99

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

Last update for Chennai (Madras): October 20, 2026

Last update for Benghazi: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Chennai (Madras)

$117 28.1%

Benghazi

$127 30% 8.9% $10

Accommodation & Living

Chennai (Madras)

$101 24.3%

Benghazi

$119 28.1% 17.9% $18

Eating Out

Chennai (Madras)

$69 16.5%

Benghazi

$37 8.8% 46% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chennai (Madras)

$51 12.3%

Benghazi

$23 * 5.5% 54.6% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Chennai (Madras)

$46 11.2%

Benghazi

$84 19.9% 81.7% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chennai (Madras)

$18 4.2%

Benghazi

$30 7.1% 71.8% $13

Getting Around

Chennai (Madras)

$14 3.5%

Benghazi

$3.2 * 0.8% 77.8% $11

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $179 in Chennai (Madras) versus $190 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 151% higher in Chennai (Madras), 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 $12.00 in Chennai (Madras) versus $13.00 in Benghazi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $117 vs $127 – making Chennai (Madras) the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇳 Chennai (Madras)

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🕒 Local time

17:59 5:59 PM

14:29 2:29 PM

3 h 30 min behind Chennai (Madras)

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,681,087

631,555

💱 Currency

Indian Rupee INR ₹

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 INR = 10.53 USD

1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to INR – Indian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇳 Indian Rupee (₹)

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 94.96 INR (100 INR = 1.05 USD). 1 EUR = 107 INR (1,000 INR = 9.37 EUR).

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).

USD to INR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chennai (Madras) Benghazi 6,450 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chennai (Madras)
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

Chennai (Madras) vs Benghazi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $416 in Chennai (Madras), $424 in Benghazi – roughly 2% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $623 per month in Chennai (Madras) and $636 in Benghazi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chennai (Madras), 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 $416 in Chennai (Madras) and $424 in Benghazi. That's a gap of about 2%.

Kindergarten costs $89.4 per month in Chennai (Madras) and $76.7 in Benghazi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $416 in Chennai (Madras) and $424 in Benghazi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chennai (Madras) has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $416 in Chennai (Madras) to $424 in Benghazi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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