Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Benghazi

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $412 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $29,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
Learn more

Benghazi Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$412

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,854 per month in Dubai vs $412 in Benghazi, rent included.

Dubai $2,854
Benghazi $412

A couple spends around $4,321 per month in Dubai vs $695 in Benghazi, rent included.

Dubai $4,321
Benghazi $695

A family of three spends $5,788 per month in Dubai vs $978 in Benghazi, rent included.

Dubai $5,788
Benghazi $978

Dubai costs about 592% more than Benghazi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 113% above the global median, while Benghazi is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$2.36 LYD 15.08

452.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$12.50 LYD 80.0

551.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$2.30 LYD 14.70

305.22%

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

$5.97 AED 21.93

$0.68 LYD 4.37

777.94%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$0.43 LYD 2.74

279.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.12 LYD 0.77

575.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$0.82 LYD 5.22

120.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$0.19 LYD 1.22

726.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$1.39 LYD 8.92

79.14%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$1.65 LYD 10.58

98.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$6.56 LYD 41.97

93.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$2.80 LYD 17.92

248.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$11.17 LYD 71.5

17.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$2.27 LYD 14.52

14.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$1.82 LYD 11.66

6.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$1.20 LYD 7.70

60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$0.69 LYD 4.40

97.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$0.85 LYD 5.45

37.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.63 LYD 4.06

60.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.35 LYD 2.23

331.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.23 LYD 1.47

169.57%

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)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$1.84 LYD 11.77

217.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$1.52 LYD 9.73

108.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$0.30 LYD 1.89

136.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$0.02 LYD 0.14

4850.00%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$12.4K LYD 79.4K

120.52%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$14.9K LYD 95.1K

51.66%

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

$250 AED 920

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

$54.2 AED 199

$4.44 LYD 28.44

1121.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$18.29 LYD 117

401.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$17.54 LYD 112

462.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$3.84 LYD 24.56

1009.64%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$6.06 LYD 38.75

164.52%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$78.0 LYD 499

981.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$347 LYD 2,221

5162.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$42.51 LYD 272

59.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$34.84 LYD 223

66.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$42.28 LYD 271

138.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$69.0 LYD 442

46.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$186 LYD 1,191

1179.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$115 LYD 737

1207.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$434 LYD 2,776

922.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$259 LYD 1,655

1064.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$265 LYD 1,699

1177.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Benghazi: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Benghazi

$115 27.5% 92.4% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Benghazi

$23 * 5.4% 94.3% $374

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Benghazi

$36 8.6% 88.3% $273

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Benghazi

$128 30.5% 56.3% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Benghazi

$85 20.2% 42.4% $62

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Benghazi

$30 7.1% 77.3% $101

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Benghazi

$3 * 0.7% 96.5% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,380 in Dubai 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 1178% higher in Dubai, 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 $81.0 in Dubai versus $13.00 in Benghazi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $128 – making Benghazi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

05:09 5:09 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

631,555

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 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 AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Benghazi 3,500 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
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

Dubai vs Benghazi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,854 in Dubai, $412 in Benghazi – roughly 592% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,281 per month in Dubai 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 $2,854 in Dubai and $412 in Benghazi. That's a gap of about 592%.

Kindergarten costs $843 per month in Dubai 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 Dubai at $2,854. In Benghazi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dubai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $412 in Benghazi to $2,854 in Dubai. 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, Dubai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.