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

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 96.1% more expensive than Libya without rent, and 141.4% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 95.8% more expensive than Libya without rent, and 137% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Libya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.70 R 142
$3.78 LYD 24.03
130.16%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.91 R 636
$15.42 LYD 98.1
152.33%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.17 R 84.5
$2.73 LYD 17.33
89.38%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.53 LYD 3.40
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.57 LYD 3.63
-
Cappuccino
$2.05 R 33.53
$0.52 LYD 3.28
294.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 R 16.72
$0.44 LYD 2.83
131.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 R 12.40
$0.17 LYD 1.06
347.06%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.26 R 36.88
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 R 41.41
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Libya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 R 18.05
$0.99 LYD 6.30
11.11%
White Bread (500g)
$0.94 R 15.38
$0.26 LYD 1.64
261.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.62 R 26.53
$1.03 LYD 6.55
57.28%
Eggs
$2.22 R 36.30
$1.35 LYD 8.57
64.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 R 123
$4.84 LYD 30.77
55.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.48 R 73.2
$3.24 LYD 20.62
38.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.61 R 108
$9.61 LYD 61.1
-31.22%
Apples (1kg)
$1.50 R 24.53
$1.71 LYD 10.88
-12.28%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 R 23.21
$1.31 LYD 8.30
8.40%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.46 R 23.88
$0.71 LYD 4.55
105.63%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.51 R 24.70
$0.54 LYD 3.46
179.63%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 R 20.52
$0.60 LYD 3.83
110.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.29 R 21.16
$0.49 LYD 3.12
163.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 R 16.81
$0.43 LYD 2.72
139.53%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 R 15.79
$0.24 LYD 1.53
304.17%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$0.75 LYD 4.80
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.72 LYD 4.61
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.71 LYD 4.52
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.87 R 46.89
$1.90 LYD 12.11
51.05%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.90 R 80.0
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 R 21.47
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 R 28.35
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Libya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.65 R 26.94
$0.38 LYD 2.45
334.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.20 R 722
$20.21 LYD 129
118.70%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 R 18.63
$0.95 LYD 6.01
20.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 R 17.82
$1.00 LYD 6.37
9.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.70 R 76.9
$3.63 LYD 23.11
29.48%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 R 21.17
$0.03 LYD 0.20
4233.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.8K R 339.7K
$16.0K LYD 101.6K
30.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K R 384.2K
$16.5K LYD 104.7K
42.80%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Libya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$111 R 1,819
$32.86 LYD 209
238.83%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.36 R 529
$7.25 LYD 46.14
346.34%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.49 R 662
$22.19 LYD 141
82.47%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Libya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.96 R 522
$20.96 LYD 133
52.48%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.72 R 159
$8.34 LYD 53.0
16.55%
Cinema Ticket
$6.80 R 111
$4.65 LYD 29.60
46.24%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Libya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$189 R 3,081
$47.79 LYD 304
294.50%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,400 R 71.9K
$811 LYD 5,157
442.65%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Libya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.2 R 820
$26.07 LYD 166
92.37%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.53 R 499
$31.75 LYD 202
-3.84%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.5 R 1,545
$41.68 LYD 265
126.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.3 R 1,328
$44.62 LYD 284
82.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Libya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 R 7,397
$172 LYD 1,095
162.96%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$372 R 6,080
$98.6 LYD 627
277.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$906 R 14.8K
$327 LYD 2,078
177.17%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$703 R 11.5K
$183 LYD 1,162
284.69%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,150 R 18.8K
$419 LYD 2,667
174.18%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$836 R 13.7K
$111 LYD 706
653.05%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Libya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,471 R 24.0K
$258 LYD 1,640
470.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
15.79
-26.85%

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

Last update for South Africa: March 2, 2026

Last update for Libya: March 1, 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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