Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Benghazi

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $424 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
Learn more

Benghazi Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$424

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,208 per month in Phuket vs $424 in Benghazi, rent included.

Phuket $1,208
Benghazi $424

A couple spends around $2,027 per month in Phuket vs $713 in Benghazi, rent included.

Phuket $2,027
Benghazi $713

A family of three spends $2,845 per month in Phuket vs $1,003 in Benghazi, rent included.

Phuket $2,845
Benghazi $1,003

Phuket costs about 185% more than Benghazi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Benghazi are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Benghazi 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.40 ฿147

$2.47 LYD 15.84

78.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.26 ฿1,078

$12.64 LYD 81.0

155.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.76 ฿293

$2.39 LYD 15.34

266.53%

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

$2.83 ฿94.5

$0.66 LYD 4.21

328.79%

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

$0.90 ฿30.14

$0.43 LYD 2.75

109.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 ฿15.56

$0.14 LYD 0.91

235.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 ฿85.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 ฿57.7

$0.76 LYD 4.85

127.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.11

$0.15 LYD 0.93

880.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.51 ฿50.6

$1.36 LYD 8.72

11.03%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.65 LYD 10.55

31.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.70 ฿658

$6.27 LYD 40.17

214.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.34 ฿112

$2.77 LYD 17.77

20.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.16 ฿373

$11.47 LYD 73.5

-2.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.85 ฿95.1

$2.36 LYD 15.14

20.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.83 LYD 11.74

-7.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.3

$1.16 LYD 7.42

88.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.05 ฿68.4

$0.70 LYD 4.50

192.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.45 ฿48.57

$0.82 LYD 5.24

76.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.16

$0.64 LYD 4.09

115.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.07 ฿35.69

$0.37 LYD 2.38

189.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.91

$0.23 LYD 1.47

121.74%

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)

$4.26 ฿142

$1.89 LYD 12.12

125.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.58 ฿621

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 ฿59.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.26 ฿75.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.10 ฿738

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 ฿101

$1.59 LYD 10.21

89.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.06 ฿35.34

$0.32 LYD 2.06

231.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.86 ฿129

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.45

$0.02 LYD 0.13

7150.00%

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

$26.3K ฿879.9K

$12.6K LYD 80.6K

109.37%

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

$26.9K ฿900.4K

$14.7K LYD 94.3K

83.17%

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

$96.4 ฿3,221

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

$11.04 ฿369

$4.45 LYD 28.50

148.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.14 ฿573

$18.67 LYD 120

-8.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

$17.33 LYD 111

201.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

$3.82 LYD 24.46

192.15%

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 ฿261

$6.39 LYD 40.94

22.22%

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

$556 ฿18.6K

$76.7 LYD 492

624.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ฿387.0K

$352 LYD 2,258

3186.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.2 ฿2,146

$42.16 LYD 270

52.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.69 ฿959

$34.96 LYD 224

-17.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.4 ฿3,187

$42.12 LYD 270

126.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.0 ฿2,940

$68.4 LYD 438

28.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

$190 LYD 1,220

287.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

$119 LYD 762

288.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

$430 LYD 2,755

387.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

$260 LYD 1,667

361.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,488 ฿116.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,523 ฿84.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.7K

$268 LYD 1,718

86.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Phuket: 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

Phuket

$462 38.3%

Benghazi

$119 28.1% 74.3% $343

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$269 22.2%

Benghazi

$127 30% 52.7% $142

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$125 10.3%

Benghazi

$23 * 5.5% 81.4% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Benghazi

$84 19.9% 32.1% $40

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10%

Benghazi

$37 8.8% 69.4% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$68 5.6%

Benghazi

$30 7.1% 55.6% $38

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.3%

Benghazi

$3.2 * 0.8% 91.9% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $737 in Phuket 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 87% higher in Phuket, 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 $32.00 in Phuket versus $13.00 in Benghazi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $269 vs $127 – making Benghazi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

18:04 6:04 PM

5 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

631,555

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Benghazi 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
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

Phuket vs Benghazi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $1,208 in Phuket, $424 in Benghazi – roughly 185% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,813 per month in Phuket 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 $1,208 in Phuket and $424 in Benghazi. That's a gap of about 185%.

Kindergarten costs $556 per month in Phuket 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 Phuket at $1,208. In Benghazi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $424 in Benghazi to $1,208 in Phuket. 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, Phuket makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.