Cost of Living Comparison Between Libya and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Libya and South Africa

🙂 Solo nomad: Libya is 49% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 58.6% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Libya is 48.9% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 57.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Libya
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.78 LYD 23.96
$8.70 R 143
-56.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.42 LYD 97.8
$38.91 R 641
-60.37%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.73 LYD 17.28
$5.17 R 85.3
-47.20%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.53 LYD 3.39
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.57 LYD 3.62
-
-
Cappuccino
$0.52 LYD 3.27
$2.05 R 33.82
-74.63%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.44 LYD 2.82
$1.02 R 16.87
-56.86%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.17 LYD 1.05
$0.76 R 12.51
-77.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.26 R 37.20
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.53 R 41.77
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Libya
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.99 LYD 6.28
$1.10 R 18.20
-10.00%
White Bread (500g)
$0.26 LYD 1.64
$0.94 R 15.51
-72.34%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.03 LYD 6.53
$1.62 R 26.76
-36.42%
Eggs
$1.35 LYD 8.54
$2.22 R 36.61
-39.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.84 LYD 30.67
$7.52 R 124
-35.64%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.24 LYD 20.55
$4.48 R 73.8
-27.68%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.61 LYD 60.9
$6.61 R 109
45.39%
Apples (1kg)
$1.71 LYD 10.85
$1.50 R 24.74
14.00%
Banana (1kg)
$1.31 LYD 8.27
$1.42 R 23.41
-7.75%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.71 LYD 4.53
$1.46 R 24.08
-51.37%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.54 LYD 3.45
$1.51 R 24.91
-64.24%
Potato (1kg)
$0.60 LYD 3.82
$1.26 R 20.70
-52.38%
Onion (1kg)
$0.49 LYD 3.11
$1.29 R 21.34
-62.02%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.43 LYD 2.71
$1.03 R 16.95
-58.25%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.24 LYD 1.53
$0.97 R 15.93
-75.26%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$0.75 LYD 4.78
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.72 LYD 4.59
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 LYD 4.51
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.90 LYD 12.07
$2.87 R 47.30
-33.80%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$4.90 R 80.7
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.31 R 21.65
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.73 R 28.59
-
🚌 Getting Around
Libya
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.38 LYD 2.44
$1.65 R 27.17
-76.97%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.21 LYD 128
$44.20 R 728
-54.28%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.95 LYD 5.99
$1.14 R 18.79
-16.67%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.00 LYD 6.35
$1.09 R 17.98
-8.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.63 LYD 23.04
$4.70 R 77.5
-22.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.03 LYD 0.20
$1.30 R 21.35
-97.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.0K LYD 101.3K
$20.8K R 342.7K
-23.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.5K LYD 104.4K
$23.5K R 387.5K
-29.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Libya
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$32.86 LYD 208
$111 R 1,835
-70.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.25 LYD 45.99
$32.36 R 533
-77.60%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$22.19 LYD 141
$40.49 R 667
-45.20%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Libya
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.96 LYD 133
$31.96 R 527
-34.42%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.34 LYD 52.9
$9.72 R 160
-14.20%
Cinema Ticket
$4.65 LYD 29.50
$6.80 R 112
-31.62%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Libya
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$47.79 LYD 303
$189 R 3,107
-74.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$811 LYD 5,140
$4,400 R 72.5K
-81.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Libya
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$26.07 LYD 165
$50.2 R 827
-48.02%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.75 LYD 201
$30.53 R 503
4.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$41.68 LYD 264
$94.5 R 1,558
-55.91%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$44.62 LYD 283
$81.3 R 1,340
-45.11%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Libya
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$172 LYD 1,092
$453 R 7,461
-61.97%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$98.6 LYD 625
$372 R 6,132
-73.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$327 LYD 2,072
$906 R 14.9K
-63.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$183 LYD 1,158
$703 R 11.6K
-74.00%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$419 LYD 2,659
$1,150 R 19.0K
-63.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$111 LYD 704
$836 R 13.8K
-86.72%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Libya
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$258 LYD 1,635
$1,471 R 24.2K
-82.47%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
15.79
11.55
36.71%

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

Last update for Libya: March 1, 2026

Last update for South Africa: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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