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

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 88.5% more expensive than Libya without rent, and 139.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 94.1% more expensive than Libya without rent, and 136.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Libya
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.71 R 142
$3.62 LYD 22.90
140.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.43 R 643
$15.30 LYD 96.9
157.71%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.16 R 84.2
$2.82 LYD 17.82
82.98%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$0.57 LYD 3.64
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.58 LYD 3.67
-
Cappuccino
$2.03 R 33.11
$0.51 LYD 3.20
298.04%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 R 16.84
$0.47 LYD 3.00
119.15%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 R 12.84
$0.19 LYD 1.22
315.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.30 R 37.55
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 R 41.61
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Libya
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 R 18.17
$0.98 LYD 6.21
13.27%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 R 16.93
$0.26 LYD 1.62
300.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 R 25.19
$1.07 LYD 6.80
43.93%
Eggs
$2.24 R 36.59
$1.35 LYD 8.54
65.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.86 R 128
$4.93 LYD 31.21
59.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.73 R 77.2
$3.27 LYD 20.71
44.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.65 R 109
$9.22 LYD 58.4
-27.87%
Apples (1kg)
$1.51 R 24.68
$1.71 LYD 10.84
-11.70%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 R 22.95
$1.25 LYD 7.91
12.80%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.49 R 24.33
$0.72 LYD 4.55
106.94%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 R 25.49
$0.56 LYD 3.52
178.57%
Potato (1kg)
$1.19 R 19.48
$0.59 LYD 3.75
101.69%
Onion (1kg)
$1.30 R 21.15
$0.49 LYD 3.13
165.31%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.04 R 17.00
$0.39 LYD 2.48
166.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 15.70
$0.22 LYD 1.39
336.36%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$1.01 LYD 6.41
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$0.67 LYD 4.24
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$0.71 LYD 4.48
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.92 R 47.70
$1.89 LYD 11.99
54.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.80 R 78.3
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 R 21.77
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 R 28.10
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Libya
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.70 R 27.74
$0.36 LYD 2.26
372.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.20 R 737
$20.31 LYD 129
122.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 R 17.82
$0.90 LYD 5.72
21.11%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 R 17.14
$0.99 LYD 6.29
6.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.73 R 77.2
$3.69 LYD 23.37
28.18%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 R 21.11
$0.03 LYD 0.17
4200.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K R 343.4K
$16.1K LYD 102.0K
30.67%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.6K R 384.4K
$16.3K LYD 102.9K
44.94%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Libya
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$112 R 1,820
$32.90 LYD 208
239.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.97 R 521
$7.54 LYD 47.72
324.01%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.41 R 659
$21.39 LYD 135
88.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Libya
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.85 R 519
$20.71 LYD 131
53.79%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.68 R 158
$8.00 LYD 50.6
21.00%
Cinema Ticket
$6.64 R 108
$4.61 LYD 29.20
44.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Libya
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$190 R 3,102
$47.24 LYD 299
302.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,317 R 70.4K
$828 LYD 5,239
421.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Libya
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.50 R 791
$26.17 LYD 166
85.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.47 R 497
$32.30 LYD 204
-5.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 R 1,537
$41.59 LYD 263
126.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.4 R 1,328
$45.32 LYD 287
79.61%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Libya
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 R 7,385
$169 LYD 1,071
167.55%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,050
$97.3 LYD 616
281.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$881 R 14.4K
$324 LYD 2,048
172.39%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$705 R 11.5K
$180 LYD 1,138
292.11%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,147 R 18.7K
$500 LYD 3,167
129.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$818 R 13.3K
$128 LYD 807
541.08%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Libya
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,476 R 24.1K
$266 LYD 1,682
455.49%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Libya: April 11, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar countries