Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tripoli and Lisbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Tripoli: $538 a month against $2,202 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $20,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Tripoli
🇱🇾 Libya
$538
/mo nomad
Lisbon
🇵🇹 Portugal
$2,202
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tripoli and in Lisbon

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 Lisbon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $538 in Tripoli versus $2,202 in Lisbon.

  • Tripoli $538
  • Lisbon $2,202

Estimated couple costs with rent: $812 in Tripoli versus $3,274 in Lisbon.

  • Tripoli $812
  • Lisbon $3,274

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,087 in Tripoli versus $4,346 in Lisbon.

  • Tripoli $1,087
  • Lisbon $4,346

Living in Tripoli costs roughly 76% less than in Lisbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Tripoli is 60% below, Lisbon is 62% above.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tripoli
Lisbon
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.82 LYD 24.48
$17.04 €15.15
-77.58%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$15.79 LYD 101
$62.3 €55.4
-74.65%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.60 LYD 16.69
$11.02 €9.80
-76.41%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.63 LYD 4.04
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.69 LYD 4.41
-
-
Cappuccino
$0.44 LYD 2.83
$3.12 €2.78
-85.90%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.42 LYD 2.68
$2.27 €2.02
-81.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.10 LYD 0.63
$1.74 €1.55
-94.25%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$3.42 €3.04
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$3.74 €3.33
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tripoli
Lisbon
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.97 LYD 6.25
$1.17 €1.04
-17.09%
White Bread (500g)
$0.20 LYD 1.28
$1.86 €1.66
-89.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.19 LYD 7.62
$1.54 €1.37
-22.73%
Eggs
$1.38 LYD 8.83
$4.06 €3.61
-66.01%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.33 LYD 34.13
$12.91 €11.49
-58.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.61 LYD 23.16
$7.90 €7.03
-54.30%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.17 LYD 58.7
$17.64 €15.69
-48.02%
Apples (1kg)
$2.23 LYD 14.29
$2.26 €2.01
-1.33%
Banana (1kg)
$1.49 LYD 9.57
$1.75 €1.55
-14.86%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.71 LYD 4.54
$1.89 €1.68
-62.43%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.55 LYD 3.55
$2.56 €2.27
-78.52%
Potato (1kg)
$0.77 LYD 4.94
$1.85 €1.64
-58.38%
Onion (1kg)
$0.49 LYD 3.14
$1.97 €1.75
-75.13%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.39 LYD 2.51
$1.45 €1.29
-73.10%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.20 LYD 1.31
$0.77 €0.69
-74.03%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$1.77 LYD 11.32
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 LYD 6.34
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.77 LYD 4.95
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.91 LYD 12.24
$6.71 €5.97
-71.54%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$5.67 €5.04
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.37 €1.22
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.11 €1.88
-
🚌 Getting Around
Tripoli
Lisbon
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.30 LYD 1.91
$2.32 €2.07
-87.07%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$44.43 €39.52
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.80 LYD 5.10
$3.95 €3.51
-79.75%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.48 LYD 3.09
$1.05 €0.93
-54.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$17.15 €15.26
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.02 LYD 0.13
$2.19 €1.95
-99.09%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$23.6K LYD 151.3K
$33.8K €30.0K
-30.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.0K LYD 134.7K
$38.3K €34.0K
-45.07%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tripoli
Lisbon
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$93.1 LYD 597
$164 €146
-43.17%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.05 LYD 38.75
$18.48 €16.43
-67.26%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.35 LYD 175
$32.96 €29.32
-17.02%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tripoli
Lisbon
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.58 LYD 158
$45.87 €40.80
-46.41%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$2.36 LYD 15.14
$18.68 €16.61
-87.37%
Cinema Ticket
-
$9.75 €8.67
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tripoli
Lisbon
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$53.1 LYD 340
$684 €608
-92.24%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,534 LYD 9,830
$17.6K €15.7K
-91.30%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tripoli
Lisbon
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$22.65 LYD 145
$104 €92.3
-78.17%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$17.61 LYD 113
$46.20 €41.09
-61.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$63.3 LYD 406
$99.7 €88.7
-36.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$67.1 LYD 430
$125 €111
-46.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tripoli
Lisbon
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$351 LYD 2,251
$1,589 €1,414
-77.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$143 LYD 917
$1,169 €1,040
-87.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$619 LYD 3,968
$2,851 €2,536
-78.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$258 LYD 1,655
$1,993 €1,773
-87.04%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$7,793 €6,932
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$4,418 €3,930
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tripoli
Lisbon
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$257 LYD 1,646
$1,600 €1,423
-83.95%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
0
3.85
-

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

Last update for Tripoli: October 19, 2026

Last update for Lisbon: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Tripoli
$143
Lisbon
$1.2K 717% $1K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tripoli
$126
Lisbon
$215 70.2% $89
Groceries & Markets
Tripoli
$117
Lisbon
$273 134% $156
Clothing & Footwear
Tripoli
$77
Lisbon
$168 119% $92
Eating Out
Tripoli
$46
Lisbon
$247 441% $202
Sport & Entertainment
Tripoli
$25 *
Lisbon
$65 166% $41
Getting Around
Tripoli
$4.4 *
Lisbon
$63 1330% $59

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 $351 in Tripoli and $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 523% 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: $16.00 in Tripoli vs $62.0 in Lisbon for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $117 vs $273 per month, with Tripoli cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇱🇾 Tripoli
🇵🇹 Lisbon
🕒 Local time
12:48 12:48 PM
11:48 11:48 AM
1 h behind Tripoli
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
2,127,000 Capital
545,923 Capital
💱 Currency
Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to LYD – Libyan Dinar Converter

Libyan Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.41 LYD (1 LYD = 0.156 USD). 1 EUR = 7.2 LYD (1 LYD = 0.139 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tripoli Lisbon 2,110 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Tripoli
  • Lisbon

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 Lisbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Tripoli and in Lisbon?
Tripoli and Lisbon differ by about 309% in total monthly costs ($538 vs $2,202 including rent). Tripoli is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 523% lower in Lisbon. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Tripoli and in Lisbon?
Rent for a central apartment: $351 in Tripoli versus $1,589 in Lisbon. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Supermarket bills run roughly 134% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Which city is more expensive overall: Tripoli or Lisbon?
All in, you'll spend $538 per month in Tripoli versus $2,202 in Lisbon – a 309% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.
Which city is more doable on $1,500 per month?
At $538 in Tripoli versus $2,202 in Lisbon, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Tripoli but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Tripoli the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between Tripoli and Lisbon?
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.
Is Tripoli or Lisbon safer for residents?
Safety-wise, Tripoli and Lisbon are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.
Where should expats move: Tripoli or Lisbon?
Expats usually find Tripoli gentler on the wallet – expenses run 309% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.

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