Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tripoli and Benghazi

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $424 a month against $538 in Tripoli, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Tripoli outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

26

Cost of Living Index in Tripoli
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Tripoli Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
Learn more

Benghazi Living Index

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Tripoli

🇱🇾 Libya

$538

/mo nomad

Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$424

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $538 per month in Tripoli vs $424 in Benghazi, rent included.

Tripoli $538
Benghazi $424

A couple spends around $812 per month in Tripoli vs $713 in Benghazi, rent included.

Tripoli $812
Benghazi $713

A family of three spends $1,087 per month in Tripoli vs $1,003 in Benghazi, rent included.

Tripoli $1,087
Benghazi $1,003

Tripoli costs about 27% more than Benghazi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Tripoli and Benghazi are more affordable than the global median – Tripoli 60% lower, Benghazi 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 LYD 24.48

$2.47 LYD 15.84

54.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.79 LYD 101

$12.64 LYD 81.0

24.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.60 LYD 16.69

$2.39 LYD 15.34

8.79%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.63 LYD 4.04

$2.13 LYD 13.63

-70.42%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 LYD 4.41

$0.41 LYD 2.60

68.29%

Cappuccino

$0.44 LYD 2.83

$0.66 LYD 4.21

-33.33%

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

$0.42 LYD 2.68

$0.43 LYD 2.75

-2.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.10 LYD 0.63

$0.14 LYD 0.91

-28.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 LYD 6.25

$0.76 LYD 4.85

27.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.20 LYD 1.28

$0.15 LYD 0.93

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 LYD 7.62

$1.36 LYD 8.72

-12.50%

Eggs

$1.38 LYD 8.83

$1.65 LYD 10.55

-16.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.33 LYD 34.13

$6.27 LYD 40.17

-14.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.61 LYD 23.16

$2.77 LYD 17.77

30.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 LYD 58.7

$11.47 LYD 73.5

-20.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 LYD 14.29

$2.36 LYD 15.14

-5.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 LYD 9.57

$1.83 LYD 11.74

-18.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.71 LYD 4.54

$1.16 LYD 7.42

-38.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 LYD 3.55

$0.70 LYD 4.50

-21.43%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 LYD 4.94

$0.82 LYD 5.24

-6.10%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 LYD 3.14

$0.64 LYD 4.09

-23.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 LYD 2.51

$0.37 LYD 2.38

5.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.20 LYD 1.31

$0.23 LYD 1.47

-13.04%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.77 LYD 11.32

$2.33 LYD 14.92

-24.03%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 LYD 6.34

$0.57 LYD 3.66

73.68%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 LYD 4.95

$0.74 LYD 4.77

4.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.91 LYD 12.24

$1.89 LYD 12.12

1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 LYD 1.91

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 LYD 5.10

$1.59 LYD 10.21

-49.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 LYD 3.09

$0.32 LYD 2.06

50.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.13

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

$23.6K LYD 151.3K

$12.6K LYD 80.6K

87.82%

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

$21.0K LYD 134.7K

$14.7K LYD 94.3K

42.90%

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

$93.1 LYD 597

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

$6.05 LYD 38.75

$4.45 LYD 28.50

35.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.35 LYD 175

$18.67 LYD 120

46.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.58 LYD 158

$17.33 LYD 111

41.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.36 LYD 15.14

$3.82 LYD 24.46

-38.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.39 LYD 40.94

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

$53.1 LYD 340

$76.7 LYD 492

-30.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,534 LYD 9,830

$352 LYD 2,258

335.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.65 LYD 145

$42.16 LYD 270

-46.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.61 LYD 113

$34.96 LYD 224

-49.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.3 LYD 406

$42.12 LYD 270

50.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.1 LYD 430

$68.4 LYD 438

-1.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 LYD 2,251

$190 LYD 1,220

84.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$143 LYD 917

$119 LYD 762

20.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 LYD 3,968

$430 LYD 2,755

44.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 LYD 1,655

$260 LYD 1,667

-0.68%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$257 LYD 1,646

$268 LYD 1,718

-4.23%

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

Last update for Tripoli: 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

Tripoli

$143 26.6%

Benghazi

$119 28.1% 16.9% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tripoli

$126 23.5%

Benghazi

$23 * 5.5% 81.7% $103

Groceries & Markets

Tripoli

$117 21.7%

Benghazi

$127 30% 9% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Tripoli

$77 14.3%

Benghazi

$84 19.9% 9.9% $7.6

Eating Out

Tripoli

$46 8.5%

Benghazi

$37 8.8% 18.8% $8.6

Sport & Entertainment

Tripoli

$25 * 4.6%

Benghazi

$30 7.1% 22.5% $5.5

Getting Around

Tripoli

$4.4 * 0.8%

Benghazi

$3.2 * 0.8% 27.3% $1.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $351 in Tripoli 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 4% higher in Benghazi, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16.00 in Tripoli versus $13.00 in Benghazi. Groceries tell a different story – $117 in Tripoli vs $127 in Benghazi – so Tripoli wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Tripoli

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🕒 Local time

16:16 4:16 PM

Same time as Tripoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,127,000 Capital

631,555

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Tripoli Benghazi 650 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Tripoli
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

Tripoli vs Benghazi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $538 in Tripoli, $424 in Benghazi – roughly 27% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $807 per month in Tripoli 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 $538 in Tripoli and $424 in Benghazi. That's a gap of about 27%.

Kindergarten costs $53.1 per month in Tripoli and $76.7 in Benghazi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $538 in Tripoli and $424 in Benghazi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Benghazi – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Benghazi. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tripoli makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.