Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Benghazi

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $424 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
Learn more

Benghazi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$424

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai 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 Chiang Mai and in Benghazi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $424 in Benghazi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Benghazi $424

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $713 in Benghazi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Benghazi $713

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,003 in Benghazi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Benghazi $1,003

Chiang Mai costs about 118% more than Benghazi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Benghazi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Benghazi 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$2.47 LYD 15.84

-7.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$12.64 LYD 81.0

55.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$2.39 LYD 15.34

134.73%

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

$1.66 ฿55.6

$0.66 LYD 4.21

151.52%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.43 LYD 2.75

62.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.14 LYD 0.91

121.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.76 LYD 4.85

156.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.15 LYD 0.93

840.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.36 LYD 8.72

-3.68%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.65 LYD 10.55

32.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$6.27 LYD 40.17

165.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$2.77 LYD 17.77

-0.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$11.47 LYD 73.5

-20.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.36 LYD 15.14

1.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.83 LYD 11.74

-43.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.16 LYD 7.42

40.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.70 LYD 4.50

114.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.82 LYD 5.24

57.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.64 LYD 4.09

73.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.37 LYD 2.38

94.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.23 LYD 1.47

130.43%

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)

$4.31 ฿144

$1.89 LYD 12.12

128.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.59 LYD 10.21

-23.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.32 LYD 2.06

78.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.02 LYD 0.13

7100.00%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$12.6K LYD 80.6K

64.85%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$14.7K LYD 94.3K

82.20%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

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

$12.11 ฿405

$4.45 LYD 28.50

172.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$18.67 LYD 120

6.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$17.33 LYD 111

113.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$3.82 LYD 24.46

-1.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.39 LYD 40.94

1.72%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$76.7 LYD 492

932.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$352 LYD 2,258

4102.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$42.16 LYD 270

27.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$34.96 LYD 224

-29.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$42.12 LYD 270

115.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$68.4 LYD 438

3.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$190 LYD 1,220

139.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$119 LYD 762

150.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$430 LYD 2,755

111.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$260 LYD 1,667

112.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$268 LYD 1,718

120.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Benghazi: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Benghazi

$119 28.1% 60.1% $179

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Benghazi

$127 30% 46% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Benghazi

$84 19.9% 21.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Benghazi

$23 * 5.5% 75.5% $71

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Benghazi

$37 8.8% 52.8% $41

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Benghazi

$3.2 * 0.8% 94.7% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Benghazi

$30 7.1% 39.9% $20

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai 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 120% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $13.00 in Benghazi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $127 – making Benghazi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🕒 Local time

00:00 12:00 AM

19:00 7:00 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

631,555

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Benghazi 7,890 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
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

Chiang Mai vs Benghazi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $925 in Chiang Mai, $424 in Benghazi – roughly 118% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai 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 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 $925 in Chiang Mai and $424 in Benghazi. That's a gap of about 118%.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $76.7 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 $424, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Benghazi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $424 in Benghazi to $925 in Chiang Mai. 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, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.