Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Medellin and Benghazi

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $424 a month against $1,625 in Medellin, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Medellin
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Medellin Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
Learn more

Benghazi Living Index

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Medellin

🇨🇴 Colombia

$1,625

/mo nomad

Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$424

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,625 per month in Medellin vs $424 in Benghazi, rent included.

Medellin $1,625
Benghazi $424

A couple spends around $2,412 per month in Medellin vs $713 in Benghazi, rent included.

Medellin $2,412
Benghazi $713

A family of three spends $3,199 per month in Medellin vs $1,003 in Benghazi, rent included.

Medellin $3,199
Benghazi $1,003

Medellin costs about 283% more than Benghazi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Medellin sits 20% above the global median, while Benghazi is 69% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.30 COP 26.3K

$2.47 LYD 15.84

236.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.91 COP 148.7K

$12.64 LYD 81.0

271.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.24 COP 29.3K

$2.39 LYD 15.34

286.61%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 LYD 13.63

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 LYD 2.60

Cappuccino

$3.05 COP 9,676

$0.66 LYD 4.21

362.12%

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

$1.80 COP 5,707

$0.43 LYD 2.75

318.60%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 COP 4,382

$0.14 LYD 0.91

885.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.24 COP 10.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.56 COP 17.6K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.50 COP 4,760

$0.76 LYD 4.85

97.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.37 COP 7,508

$0.15 LYD 0.93

1480.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 COP 5,377

$1.36 LYD 8.72

25.00%

Eggs

$2.96 COP 9,379

$1.65 LYD 10.55

79.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 COP 32.4K

$6.27 LYD 40.17

63.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.74 COP 30.9K

$2.77 LYD 17.77

251.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 COP 44.1K

$11.47 LYD 73.5

21.19%

Apples (1kg)

$4.13 COP 13.1K

$2.36 LYD 15.14

75.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.53 COP 4,839

$1.83 LYD 11.74

-16.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 COP 7,052

$1.16 LYD 7.42

91.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.27 COP 7,194

$0.70 LYD 4.50

224.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.99 COP 6,311

$0.82 LYD 5.24

142.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 COP 5,285

$0.64 LYD 4.09

160.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 COP 3,742

$0.37 LYD 2.38

218.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 COP 3,919

$0.23 LYD 1.47

439.13%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.33 LYD 14.92

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.57 LYD 3.66

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 LYD 4.77

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.87 COP 12.3K

$1.89 LYD 12.12

104.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.78 COP 43.7K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 COP 5,256

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 COP 7,615

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 COP 3,944

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$78.2 COP 248.0K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 COP 4,044

$1.59 LYD 10.21

-19.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.15 COP 6,803

$0.32 LYD 2.06

571.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.37 COP 26.5K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 COP 4,288

$0.02 LYD 0.13

6650.00%

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

$34.8K COP 110.2M

$12.6K LYD 80.6K

176.43%

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

$34.7K COP 110.0M

$14.7K LYD 94.3K

135.79%

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

$167 COP 528.4K

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

$13.62 COP 43.2K

$4.45 LYD 28.50

206.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.12 COP 92.3K

$18.67 LYD 120

55.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.09 COP 143.0K

$17.33 LYD 111

160.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.18 COP 54.5K

$3.82 LYD 24.46

349.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.97 COP 22.1K

$6.39 LYD 40.94

9.08%

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

$790 COP 2.5M

$76.7 LYD 492

929.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,041 COP 28.7M

$352 LYD 2,258

2465.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.8 COP 278.4K

$42.16 LYD 270

108.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.2 COP 184.4K

$34.96 LYD 224

66.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 COP 440.7K

$42.12 LYD 270

229.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.9 COP 313.5K

$68.4 LYD 438

44.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,028 COP 3.3M

$190 LYD 1,220

440.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$620 COP 2.0M

$119 LYD 762

420.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,881 COP 6.0M

$430 LYD 2,755

337.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 COP 3.2M

$260 LYD 1,667

287.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,988 COP 12.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,702 COP 5.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$663 COP 2.1M

$268 LYD 1,718

147.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.94

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

Last update for Medellin: October 19, 2026

Last update for Benghazi: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Medellin

$619 38.1%

Benghazi

$119 28.1% 80.8% $501

Groceries & Markets

Medellin

$298 18.3%

Benghazi

$127 30% 57.3% $171

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Medellin

$209 12.9%

Benghazi

$23 * 5.5% 89% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Medellin

$173 10.6%

Benghazi

$84 19.9% 51.1% $88

Eating Out

Medellin

$171 10.5%

Benghazi

$37 8.8% 78.3% $134

Getting Around

Medellin

$95 5.9%

Benghazi

$3.2 * 0.8% 96.6% $92

Sport & Entertainment

Medellin

$59 3.6%

Benghazi

$30 7.1% 49% $29

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,028 in Medellin versus $190 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 147% higher in Medellin, 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 $47.00 in Medellin versus $13.00 in Benghazi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $298 vs $127 – making Benghazi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇴 Medellin

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🕒 Local time

11:56 11:56 AM

18:56 6:56 PM

7 h ahead of Medellin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,486,723

631,555

💱 Currency

Colombian Peso COP $

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 COP = 3.15 USD

10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to COP – Colombian Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇴 Colombian Peso ($)

Colombian Peso exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3,171 COP (10,000 COP = 3.15 USD). 1 EUR = 3,565 COP (10,000 COP = 2.81 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to COP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Medellin Benghazi 10,170 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Medellin
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

Medellin vs Benghazi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,625 in Medellin, $424 in Benghazi – roughly 283% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,437 per month in Medellin and $636 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 $1,625 in Medellin and $424 in Benghazi. That's a gap of about 283%.

Kindergarten costs $790 per month in Medellin and $76.7 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 $424, than in Medellin at $1,625. In Benghazi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Medellin it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Medellin has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $424 in Benghazi to $1,625 in Medellin. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Benghazi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Medellin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.