Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Benghazi

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $412 a month against $1,526 in Istanbul, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

74

Cost of Living Index in Istanbul
Learn more

Istanbul Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
Learn more

Benghazi Living Index

Jump to prices

Istanbul

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,526

/mo nomad

Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$412

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,526 per month in Istanbul vs $412 in Benghazi, rent included.

Istanbul $1,526
Benghazi $412

A couple spends around $2,399 per month in Istanbul vs $695 in Benghazi, rent included.

Istanbul $2,399
Benghazi $695

A family of three spends $3,272 per month in Istanbul vs $978 in Benghazi, rent included.

Istanbul $3,272
Benghazi $978

Istanbul costs about 270% more than Benghazi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Istanbul sits 14% above the global median, while Benghazi is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.88 ₺585

$2.36 LYD 15.08

403.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.1 ₺2,714

$12.50 LYD 80.0

340.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.14 ₺450

$2.30 LYD 14.70

297.39%

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

$4.24 ₺209

$0.68 LYD 4.37

523.53%

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

$1.75 ₺86.0

$0.43 LYD 2.74

306.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 ₺26.83

$0.12 LYD 0.77

350.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.69 ₺231

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.97 ₺294

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 ₺62.1

$0.82 LYD 5.22

53.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 ₺46.81

$0.19 LYD 1.22

400.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ₺114

$1.39 LYD 8.92

66.19%

Eggs

$2.47 ₺122

$1.65 LYD 10.58

49.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.55 ₺520

$6.56 LYD 41.97

60.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 ₺276

$2.80 LYD 17.92

100.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.21 ₺1,045

$11.17 LYD 71.5

89.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 ₺95.1

$2.27 LYD 14.52

-14.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 ₺113

$1.82 LYD 11.66

25.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 ₺63.1

$1.20 LYD 7.70

6.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 ₺90.8

$0.69 LYD 4.40

166.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺32.86

$0.85 LYD 5.45

-21.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 ₺29.31

$0.63 LYD 4.06

-6.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.33 ₺65.4

$0.35 LYD 2.23

280.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.10

$0.23 LYD 1.47

156.52%

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)

$2.36 ₺116

$1.84 LYD 11.77

28.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.47 ₺664

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₺119

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.54 ₺174

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.83 ₺40.64

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.5 ₺3,273

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ₺66.6

$1.52 LYD 9.73

-11.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 ₺42.05

$0.30 LYD 1.89

183.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.86 ₺535

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ₺72.3

$0.02 LYD 0.14

7250.00%

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

$51.6K ₺2.5M

$12.4K LYD 79.4K

315.91%

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

$44.4K ₺2.2M

$14.9K LYD 95.1K

199.06%

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

$89.2 ₺4,395

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

$11.60 ₺572

$4.44 LYD 28.44

161.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.10 ₺793

$18.29 LYD 117

-11.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$77.3 ₺3,805

$17.54 LYD 112

340.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.66 ₺1,116

$3.84 LYD 24.56

490.10%

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 ₺411

$6.06 LYD 38.75

37.62%

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

$974 ₺48.0K

$78.0 LYD 499

1149.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$25.8K ₺1.3M

$347 LYD 2,221

7328.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.7 ₺2,597

$42.51 LYD 272

23.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.16 ₺1,929

$34.84 LYD 223

12.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ₺5,083

$42.28 LYD 271

144.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.6 ₺4,759

$69.0 LYD 442

39.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$994 ₺49.0K

$186 LYD 1,191

434.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$629 ₺31.0K

$115 LYD 737

446.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,024 ₺99.7K

$434 LYD 2,776

366.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,155 ₺56.9K

$259 LYD 1,655

346.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,160 ₺155.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,838 ₺90.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,203 ₺59.3K

$265 LYD 1,699

353.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

41.09

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

Last update for Istanbul: 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

Istanbul

$629 41.2%

Benghazi

$115 27.5% 81.7% $514

Groceries & Markets

Istanbul

$264 17.3%

Benghazi

$128 30.5% 51.5% $136

Eating Out

Istanbul

$218 14.3%

Benghazi

$36 8.6% 83.4% $182

Clothing & Footwear

Istanbul

$131 8.6%

Benghazi

$85 20.2% 35.3% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Istanbul

$117 7.7%

Benghazi

$23 * 5.4% 80.6% $94

Sport & Entertainment

Istanbul

$94 6.1%

Benghazi

$30 7.1% 68.4% $64

Getting Around

Istanbul

$75 4.9%

Benghazi

$3 * 0.7% 96% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $994 in Istanbul 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 353% higher in Istanbul, 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 $55.0 in Istanbul versus $13.00 in Benghazi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $264 vs $128 – making Benghazi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Istanbul

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🕒 Local time

07:58 7:58 AM

06:58 6:58 AM

1 h behind Istanbul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,701,602

631,555

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.03 USD

100 TRY = 1.81 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 49.26 TRY (100 TRY = 2.03 USD). 1 EUR = 55.25 TRY (100 TRY = 1.81 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 TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Istanbul Benghazi 1,270 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Istanbul
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

Istanbul vs Benghazi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,526 in Istanbul, $412 in Benghazi – roughly 270% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,289 per month in Istanbul 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 $1,526 in Istanbul and $412 in Benghazi. That's a gap of about 270%.

Kindergarten costs $974 per month in Istanbul 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 Istanbul at $1,526. In Benghazi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Istanbul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Istanbul has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $412 in Benghazi to $1,526 in Istanbul. 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, Istanbul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.