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

🙂 Solo nomad: Libya is 47% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 58.2% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Libya is 48.5% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 57.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Libya
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.62 LYD 22.90
$8.71 R 142
-58.44%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.30 LYD 96.9
$39.43 R 643
-61.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.82 LYD 17.82
$5.16 R 84.2
-45.35%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.57 LYD 3.64
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.58 LYD 3.67
-
-
Cappuccino
$0.51 LYD 3.20
$2.03 R 33.11
-74.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.47 LYD 3.00
$1.03 R 16.84
-54.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.19 LYD 1.22
$0.79 R 12.84
-75.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.30 R 37.55
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.55 R 41.61
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Libya
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.98 LYD 6.21
$1.11 R 18.17
-11.71%
White Bread (500g)
$0.26 LYD 1.62
$1.04 R 16.93
-75.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.07 LYD 6.80
$1.54 R 25.19
-30.52%
Eggs
$1.35 LYD 8.54
$2.24 R 36.59
-39.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.93 LYD 31.21
$7.86 R 128
-37.28%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.27 LYD 20.71
$4.73 R 77.2
-30.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.22 LYD 58.4
$6.65 R 109
38.65%
Apples (1kg)
$1.71 LYD 10.84
$1.51 R 24.68
13.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.25 LYD 7.91
$1.41 R 22.95
-11.35%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.72 LYD 4.55
$1.49 R 24.33
-51.68%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.56 LYD 3.52
$1.56 R 25.49
-64.10%
Potato (1kg)
$0.59 LYD 3.75
$1.19 R 19.48
-50.42%
Onion (1kg)
$0.49 LYD 3.13
$1.30 R 21.15
-62.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.39 LYD 2.48
$1.04 R 17.00
-62.50%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.22 LYD 1.39
$0.96 R 15.70
-77.08%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$1.01 LYD 6.41
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.67 LYD 4.24
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 LYD 4.48
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.89 LYD 11.99
$2.92 R 47.70
-35.27%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$4.80 R 78.3
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.33 R 21.77
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.72 R 28.10
-
🚌 Getting Around
Libya
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 LYD 2.26
$1.70 R 27.74
-78.82%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$20.31 LYD 129
$45.20 R 737
-55.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.90 LYD 5.72
$1.09 R 17.82
-17.43%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.99 LYD 6.29
$1.05 R 17.14
-5.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.69 LYD 23.37
$4.73 R 77.2
-21.99%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.03 LYD 0.17
$1.29 R 21.11
-97.67%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.1K LYD 102.0K
$21.1K R 343.4K
-23.47%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.3K LYD 102.9K
$23.6K R 384.4K
-31.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Libya
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$32.90 LYD 208
$112 R 1,820
-70.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$7.54 LYD 47.72
$31.97 R 521
-76.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.39 LYD 135
$40.41 R 659
-47.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Libya
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$20.71 LYD 131
$31.85 R 519
-34.98%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$8.00 LYD 50.6
$9.68 R 158
-17.36%
Cinema Ticket
$4.61 LYD 29.20
$6.64 R 108
-30.57%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Libya
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$47.24 LYD 299
$190 R 3,102
-75.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$828 LYD 5,239
$4,317 R 70.4K
-80.83%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Libya
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$26.17 LYD 166
$48.50 R 791
-46.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.30 LYD 204
$30.47 R 497
6.01%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$41.59 LYD 263
$94.3 R 1,537
-55.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$45.32 LYD 287
$81.4 R 1,328
-44.32%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Libya
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$169 LYD 1,071
$453 R 7,385
-62.62%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$97.3 LYD 616
$371 R 6,050
-73.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$324 LYD 2,048
$881 R 14.4K
-63.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$180 LYD 1,138
$705 R 11.5K
-74.50%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$500 LYD 3,167
$1,147 R 18.7K
-56.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$128 LYD 807
$818 R 13.3K
-84.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Libya
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$266 LYD 1,682
$1,476 R 24.1K
-82.00%
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: April 11, 2026

Last update for South Africa: April 12, 2026

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

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