For one person, living is cheaper in Libya: $541 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $15,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Italy and in Libya actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $541 in Libya.
Italy $1,843
Libya $541
Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $813 in Libya.
Italy $2,816
Libya $813
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $1,085 in Libya.
Italy $3,788
Libya $1,085
📏
Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $10–$541 in Libya. City choice carries more weight in Italy.
🌍
Living in Italy is roughly 241% more expensive than in Libya on average.
📊
Italy (35% above) and Libya (60% below) straddle the global median.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Italy
Libya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.46€18.33
$3.18LYD 20.40
543.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.5€71.2
$12.36LYD 79.3
543.20%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$11.15€9.99
$2.70LYD 17.33
312.96%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.56LYD 3.60
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.61LYD 3.90
-
Cappuccino
$2.04€1.83
$0.55LYD 3.54
270.91%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.10€2.78
$0.41LYD 2.64
656.10%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40€1.25
$0.14LYD 0.88
900.00%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$5.51€4.94
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$5.74€5.14
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Italy
Libya
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.57€1.41
$0.94LYD 6.05
67.02%
White Bread(500g)
$2.38€2.13
$0.24LYD 1.55
891.67%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$2.90€2.60
$1.14LYD 7.30
154.39%
Eggs
$4.07€3.65
$1.38LYD 8.86
194.93%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$17.44€15.63
$5.27LYD 33.83
230.93%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$12.56€11.25
$3.27LYD 21.01
284.10%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$20.17€18.07
$9.15LYD 58.7
120.44%
Apples(1kg)
$2.58€2.31
$2.30LYD 14.75
12.17%
Banana(1kg)
$2.19€1.96
$1.56LYD 9.99
40.38%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.68€2.40
$0.85LYD 5.45
215.29%
Tomato(1kg)
$3.27€2.93
$0.60LYD 3.82
445.00%
Potato(1kg)
$1.90€1.70
$0.71LYD 4.58
167.61%
Onion(1kg)
$1.82€1.63
$0.48LYD 3.06
279.17%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.57€1.41
$0.42LYD 2.68
273.81%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55€0.49
$0.22LYD 1.40
150.00%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine(Mid-Range)
-
$1.81LYD 11.60
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.76LYD 4.85
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.79LYD 5.05
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$6.69€6.00
$1.84LYD 11.80
263.59%
Wine(Bottle)
$7.99€7.16
-
-
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77€1.59
-
-
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.35€2.11
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Italy
Libya
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$1.91€1.71
$0.64LYD 4.12
198.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$43.44€38.92
$39.50LYD 253
9.97%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$5.62€5.03
$0.80LYD 5.11
602.50%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.71€1.54
$0.45LYD 2.87
280.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$33.64€30.14
$2.37LYD 15.21
1319.41%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$2.03€1.82
$0.02LYD 0.11
10050.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.3K€31.6K
$23.1KLYD 148.1K
52.93%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.7K€32.9K
$17.4KLYD 111.8K
110.89%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
Libya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$227€203
$109LYD 701
107.29%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.59€10.39
$5.37LYD 34.47
115.83%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.38€27.22
$20.10LYD 129
51.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Italy
Libya
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$51.8€46.39
$18.43LYD 118
180.90%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.70€21.24
$5.22LYD 33.46
354.02%
Cinema Ticket
$10.60€9.50
$4.54LYD 29.14
133.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Italy
Libya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$568€509
$50.2LYD 322
1031.09%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$11.5K€10.3K
$745LYD 4,776
1447.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Italy
Libya
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.5€81.1
$26.33LYD 169
243.83%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.55€34.55
$31.39LYD 201
22.81%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$103€92.0
$44.30LYD 284
131.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$131€117
$39.72LYD 255
229.78%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Italy
Libya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$826€740
$239LYD 1,531
245.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$646€579
$111LYD 713
481.63%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,400€1,255
$422LYD 2,704
232.16%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,054€945
$213LYD 1,363
396.02%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$3,662€3,282
$307LYD 1,968
1093.57%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$2,301€2,062
$108LYD 691
2036.46%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Italy
Libya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$1,886€1,690
$261LYD 1,673
623.06%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
3.56
20
-82.20%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026
Last update for Libya: October 26, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Italy
$646 35.1%
Libya
$111 20.5% ↓ 82.8%$535
🛒Groceries & Markets
Italy
$348 18.9%
Libya
$116 21.5% ↓ 66.6%$232
🍽Eating Out
Italy
$279 15.1%
Libya
$42 7.8% ↓ 84.8%$236
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
$269 14.6%
Libya
$135 24.9% ↓ 49.8%$134
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Italy
$163 8.9%
Libya
$64 11.8% ↓ 60.9%$99
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Italy
$73 4%
Libya
$28 5.1% ↓ 62.3%$45
🚌Getting Around
Italy
$65 3.5%
Libya
$45 8.3% ↓ 30.9%$20
🏠Accommodation & Living
Italy
$1.1K 27.8%
Libya
$213 19.6% ↓ 79.8%$842
🛒Groceries & Markets
Italy
$823 21.7%
Libya
$289 26.7% ↓ 64.8%$533
🍽Eating Out
Italy
$964 25.5%
Libya
$149 13.8% ↓ 84.5%$815
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
$280 7.4%
Libya
$140 12.9% ↓ 50%$140
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Italy
$363 9.6%
Libya
$142 13.1% ↓ 60.9%$221
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Italy
$170 4.5%
Libya
$60 5.6% ↓ 64.5%$109
🚌Getting Around
Italy
$134 3.6%
Libya
$91 8.4% ↓ 31.9%$43
Cost Breakdown
🏠National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $188 in Libya. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $359 in Tripoli.
💰National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $253 in Libya. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 288% higher in Italy.
⭐Dining out costs 421% more in Italy.
⭐Salaries are about 7.5 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.
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
Italy vs Libya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Italy and Libya?
At $1,843 per month in Italy and $541 in Libya, Libya comes out about 71% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Day-to-day life is cheaper in Libya: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $188 in Libya. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Should I move to Italy or to Libya?
It depends on what you’re after: Libya wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.