Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sabratha and Bucharest

For one person, living is cheaper in Sabratha: $406 a month against $1,340 in Bucharest, rent and utilities included – about $11,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

20

Cost of Living Index in Sabratha
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Sabratha Living Index
65

Cost of Living Index in Bucharest
Learn more

Bucharest Living Index

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Sabratha

🇱🇾 Libya

$406

/mo nomad

Bucharest

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,340

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sabratha and in Bucharest

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sabratha and in Bucharest actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $406 in Sabratha versus $1,340 in Bucharest.

Sabratha $406
Bucharest $1,340

Estimated couple costs with rent: $597 in Sabratha versus $2,037 in Bucharest.

Sabratha $597
Bucharest $2,037

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $787 in Sabratha versus $2,734 in Bucharest.

Sabratha $787
Bucharest $2,734

Living in Sabratha costs roughly 70% less than in Bucharest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Sabratha 70% lower, Bucharest 1% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 LYD 19.46

$14.49 RON 68.6

-79.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.22 LYD 59.1

$58.1 RON 275

-84.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$1.52 LYD 9.75

$7.48 RON 35.40

-79.68%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.65 LYD 4.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 LYD 4.70

Cappuccino

$0.48 LYD 3.09

$3.44 RON 16.29

-86.05%

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

$0.30 LYD 1.90

$2.37 RON 11.22

-87.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.07 LYD 0.44

$2.30 RON 10.88

-96.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.70 RON 17.51

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.16 RON 19.69

Milk (1 liter)

$0.89 LYD 5.67

$1.67 RON 7.90

-46.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.22 LYD 1.41

$1.37 RON 6.50

-83.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 LYD 7.07

$1.72 RON 8.14

-36.05%

Eggs

$1.37 LYD 8.76

$3.64 RON 17.22

-62.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.27 LYD 33.79

$9.08 RON 42.98

-41.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.48 LYD 22.32

$6.84 RON 32.35

-49.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.58 LYD 61.4

$12.00 RON 56.8

-20.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 LYD 12.79

$1.23 RON 5.80

62.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 LYD 9.89

$1.63 RON 7.73

-5.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 LYD 4.70

$1.57 RON 7.45

-53.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.57 LYD 3.64

$2.54 RON 12.01

-77.56%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 LYD 3.13

$0.79 RON 3.75

-37.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 LYD 1.89

$0.77 RON 3.66

-62.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.32 LYD 2.06

$0.87 RON 4.13

-63.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.17 LYD 1.06

$0.99 RON 4.70

-82.83%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.76 LYD 11.30

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.91 LYD 5.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 LYD 5.00

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.84 LYD 11.79

$6.31 RON 29.86

-70.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.20 RON 29.34

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 RON 5.63

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RON 7.45

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 LYD 4.80

$0.86 RON 4.08

-12.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.10 RON 99.8

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 LYD 4.88

$0.64 RON 3.05

18.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 LYD 1.89

$0.60 RON 2.86

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 LYD 5.22

$6.43 RON 30.43

-87.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.14

$1.96 RON 9.25

-98.98%

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

$22.9K LYD 146.9K

$29.0K RON 137.2K

-20.96%

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

$21.3K LYD 136.5K

$26.6K RON 126.0K

-20.06%

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

$92.0 LYD 590

$196 RON 927

-53.02%

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

$3.99 LYD 25.56

$8.04 RON 38.04

-50.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.73 LYD 88.0

$9.35 RON 44.21

46.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.85 LYD 69.5

$50.2 RON 238

-78.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.74 LYD 49.62

$25.33 RON 120

-69.44%

Cinema Ticket

$8.15 RON 38.55

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

$39.51 LYD 253

$628 RON 2,971

-93.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$945 LYD 6,055

$14.1K RON 66.6K

-93.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$19.54 LYD 125

$89.6 RON 424

-78.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.60 LYD 113

$38.32 RON 181

-54.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.6 LYD 414

$79.3 RON 375

-18.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$15.66 LYD 100

$90.4 RON 428

-82.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$158 LYD 1,011

$678 RON 3,209

-76.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$78.2 LYD 501

$448 RON 2,121

-82.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$229 LYD 1,466

$1,083 RON 5,125

-78.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$110 LYD 705

$725 RON 3,430

-84.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$281 LYD 1,802

$3,751 RON 17.7K

-92.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$185 LYD 1,183

$2,195 RON 10.4K

-91.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$189 LYD 1,212

$1,329 RON 6,290

-85.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

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

Last update for Sabratha: October 13, 2026

Last update for Bucharest: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Sabratha

$113 27.9%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 98.7% $112

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sabratha

$110 27%

Bucharest

$213 15.9% 94.4% $104

Accommodation & Living

Sabratha

$78 19.3%

Bucharest

$448 33.5% 473% $370

Clothing & Footwear

Sabratha

$53 13%

Bucharest

$134 10% 153% $81

Eating Out

Sabratha

$36 8.9%

Bucharest

$225 16.8% 524% $189

Sport & Entertainment

Sabratha

$11 * 2.7%

Bucharest

$67 5% 513% $56

Getting Around

Sabratha

$5.2 * 1.3%

Bucharest

$28 2.1% 438% $23

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $158 in Sabratha and $678 in Bucharest. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bucharest pays 603% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $9.00 in Sabratha vs $58.0 in Bucharest for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $113 vs $225 per month, with Sabratha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Sabratha

🇷🇴 Bucharest

🕒 Local time

18:01 6:01 PM

19:01 7:01 PM

1 h ahead of Sabratha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,398

1,883,425 Capital

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to LYD – Libyan Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇾 Libyan Dinar (ل.د)

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to LYD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sabratha Bucharest 1,750 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Sabratha
Bucharest

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

Sabratha vs Bucharest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sabratha and Bucharest differ by about 230% in total monthly costs ($406 vs $1,340 including rent). Sabratha is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 603% lower in Bucharest. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $158 in Sabratha versus $678 in Bucharest. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 99% higher in Bucharest. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $406 per month in Sabratha versus $1,340 in Bucharest – a 230% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $406 in Sabratha versus $1,340 in Bucharest, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Sabratha but tight or insufficient in Bucharest. The gap between the two cities makes Sabratha the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Sabratha gentler on the wallet – expenses run 230% less than in Bucharest. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.