Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Libya

Name: Libya
Address: LY

For one person, living is cheaper in Libya: $533 a month against $1,182 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Libya
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Libya Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,182

/mo nomad

🇱🇾 Libya

$533

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa and in Libya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,182 in South Africa versus $533 in Libya.

South Africa $1,182
Libya $533

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,852 in South Africa versus $800 in Libya.

South Africa $1,852
Libya $800

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,523 in South Africa versus $1,068 in Libya.

South Africa $2,523
Libya $1,068

Living in South Africa is roughly 122% more expensive than in Libya on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: South Africa 12% lower, Libya 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.64 R 176

$3.06 LYD 19.59

247.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.40 R 683

$12.30 LYD 78.7

236.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 R 92.4

$2.65 LYD 16.96

111.32%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.55 LYD 3.55

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 LYD 4.12

Cappuccino

$2.28 R 37.63

$0.53 LYD 3.38

330.19%

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

$1.16 R 19.17

$0.41 LYD 2.64

182.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R 15.22

$0.12 LYD 0.76

666.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.45 R 40.40

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 R 48.69

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.63

$0.93 LYD 5.95

27.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R 18.42

$0.24 LYD 1.54

366.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.79 R 29.58

$1.10 LYD 7.02

62.73%

Eggs

$2.48 R 40.88

$1.38 LYD 8.80

79.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.08 R 133

$5.06 LYD 32.36

59.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.13 R 84.7

$3.27 LYD 20.90

56.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.81 R 129

$9.35 LYD 59.8

-16.47%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 R 30.78

$2.28 LYD 14.57

-17.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.42

$1.53 LYD 9.77

8.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.15

$0.86 LYD 5.53

105.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.67

$0.59 LYD 3.78

205.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.53

$0.67 LYD 4.31

122.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.71

$0.51 LYD 3.23

194.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.28 R 21.16

$0.41 LYD 2.64

212.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R 17.97

$0.18 LYD 1.17

505.56%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.77 LYD 11.31

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 LYD 5.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 LYD 5.21

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.22 R 53.2

$1.92 LYD 12.27

67.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.93 R 81.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.47

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 R 33.09

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 R 26.39

$0.65 LYD 4.16

146.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.7 R 1,001

$39.59 LYD 253

53.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 17.98

$0.80 LYD 5.15

36.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 R 16.23

$0.48 LYD 3.10

104.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.42 R 122

$2.38 LYD 15.24

211.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 R 24.63

$0.02 LYD 0.12

7350.00%

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

$35.0K R 578.2K

$23.7K LYD 152.0K

47.58%

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

$31.6K R 521.1K

$17.1K LYD 109.2K

85.11%

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

$131 R 2,168

$109 LYD 696

20.86%

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

$34.71 R 573

$5.29 LYD 33.88

556.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.94 R 659

$19.91 LYD 127

100.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.88 R 559

$18.57 LYD 119

82.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 R 188

$4.95 LYD 31.66

130.10%

Cinema Ticket

$7.31 R 121

$4.79 LYD 30.64

52.61%

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

$225 R 3,715

$50.8 LYD 325

343.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,485 R 90.5K

$750 LYD 4,803

630.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 R 858

$26.00 LYD 166

99.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.30 R 549

$30.79 LYD 197

8.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.4 R 1,640

$44.02 LYD 282

125.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 R 1,441

$39.81 LYD 255

119.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$480 R 7,918

$243 LYD 1,557

97.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$406 R 6,692

$113 LYD 724

258.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 R 15.4K

$423 LYD 2,709

120.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$796 R 13.1K

$212 LYD 1,359

274.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,111 R 18.3K

$309 LYD 1,977

259.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$777 R 12.8K

$109 LYD 699

611.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,476 R 24.4K

$257 LYD 1,647

473.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

-43.85%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 3, 2026

Last update for Libya: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$406 33.6%

Libya

$113 21% 72.1% $292

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$206 17.1%

Libya

$134 24.8% 35% $72

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.2%

Libya

$115 21.3% 41.3% $81

Eating Out

South Africa

$156 12.9%

Libya

$41 7.6% 73.7% $115

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$122 10.1%

Libya

$63 11.7% 48.3% $59

Getting Around

South Africa

$73 6.1%

Libya

$45 8.4% 37.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$49 4%

Libya

$28 5.2% 42% $20

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $418 in South Africa, $22.00 in Libya. Capital cities: $1,015 in Cape Town vs $356 in Tripoli.

National salary averages: $1,478 in South Africa, $252 in Libya. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 1800% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 660% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 750% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 487% higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇱🇾 Libya

🕒 Local time

17:08 5:08 PM

Same time as South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

6,678,567

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LYD, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.49 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.41 EUR).

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 6.4 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.17 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Africa Libya 7,030 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Libya

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

South Africa vs Libya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $533 per month in Libya and $1,182 in South Africa, there's a 122% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Libya: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $418 in South Africa and $22.00 in Libya. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Libya, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in South Africa it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Libya wins on affordability; South Africa may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.