Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tripoli and Tehran

For one person, living is cheaper in Tripoli: $538 a month against $633 in Tehran, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Tripoli
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Tripoli Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Tehran
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Tehran Living Index

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Tripoli

🇱🇾 Libya

$538

/mo nomad

Tehran

🇮🇷 Iran

$633

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tripoli and in Tehran

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

A single person spends $538 per month in Tripoli vs $633 in Tehran, rent included.

Tripoli $538
Tehran $633

A couple spends around $812 per month in Tripoli vs $1,074 in Tehran, rent included.

Tripoli $812
Tehran $1,074

A family of three spends $1,087 per month in Tripoli vs $1,515 in Tehran, rent included.

Tripoli $1,087
Tehran $1,515

Tripoli is about 15% cheaper than Tehran, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Tripoli and Tehran are more affordable than the global median – Tripoli 60% lower, Tehran 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.82 LYD 24.48

$3.77 $3.77

1.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.79 LYD 101

$17.66 $17.66

-10.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.60 LYD 16.69

$3.90 $3.90

-33.33%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.63 LYD 4.04

$0.69 $0.69

-8.70%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 LYD 4.41

$1.52 $1.52

-54.61%

Cappuccino

$0.44 LYD 2.83

$1.34 $1.34

-67.16%

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

$0.42 LYD 2.68

$0.49 $0.49

-14.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.10 LYD 0.63

$1.70 $1.70

-94.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 LYD 6.25

$0.66 $0.66

46.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.20 LYD 1.28

$0.60 $0.60

-66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 LYD 7.62

$3.41 $3.41

-65.10%

Eggs

$1.38 LYD 8.83

$1.24 $1.24

11.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.33 LYD 34.13

$4.34 $4.34

22.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.61 LYD 23.16

$3.33 $3.33

8.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.17 LYD 58.7

$10.23 $10.23

-10.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 LYD 14.29

$1.32 $1.32

68.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 LYD 9.57

$1.87 $1.87

-20.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.71 LYD 4.54

$1.14 $1.14

-37.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.55 LYD 3.55

$0.68 $0.68

-19.12%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 LYD 4.94

$0.59 $0.59

30.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 LYD 3.14

$0.51 $0.51

-3.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.39 LYD 2.51

$0.57 $0.57

-31.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.20 LYD 1.31

$0.28 $0.28

-28.57%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.77 LYD 11.32

$0.76 $0.76

132.89%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 LYD 6.34

$0.51 $0.51

94.12%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.77 LYD 4.95

$2.19 $2.19

-64.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.91 LYD 12.24

$2.44 $2.44

-21.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 LYD 1.91

$0.09 $0.09

233.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$5.39 $5.39

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 LYD 5.10

$0.52 $0.52

53.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.48 LYD 3.09

$0.31 $0.31

54.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 $2.98

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.13

$0.09 $0.09

-77.78%

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

$23.6K LYD 151.3K

$50.1K $50.1K

-52.84%

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

$21.0K LYD 134.7K

$46.2K $46.2K

-54.48%

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

$93.1 LYD 597

$12.77 $12.77

628.97%

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

$6.05 LYD 38.75

$1.63 $1.63

271.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.35 LYD 175

$3.74 $3.74

631.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.58 LYD 158

$24.64 $24.64

-0.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.36 LYD 15.14

$13.67 $13.67

-82.74%

Cinema Ticket

$2.02 $2.02

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

$53.1 LYD 340

$107 $107

-50.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,534 LYD 9,830

$2,597 $2,597

-40.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.65 LYD 145

$26.72 $26.72

-15.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.61 LYD 113

$37.79 $37.79

-53.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.3 LYD 406

$114 $114

-44.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.1 LYD 430

$76.6 $76.6

-12.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$351 LYD 2,251

$418 $418

-16.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$143 LYD 917

$271 $271

-47.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$619 LYD 3,968

$967 $967

-35.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$258 LYD 1,655

$627 $627

-58.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,279 $1,279

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$728 $728

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$257 LYD 1,646

$213 $213

20.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

24.79

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

Last update for Tripoli: October 19, 2026

Last update for Tehran: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tripoli

$143 26.6%

Tehran

$271 42.8% 89.3% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tripoli

$126 23.5%

Tehran

$18 2.9% 85.7% $108

Groceries & Markets

Tripoli

$117 21.7%

Tehran

$126 19.9% 7.9% $9.2

Clothing & Footwear

Tripoli

$77 14.3%

Tehran

$115 18.2% 49.6% $38

Eating Out

Tripoli

$46 8.5%

Tehran

$67 10.5% 45.6% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Tripoli

$25 * 4.6%

Tehran

$29 4.5% 16.7% $4.1

Getting Around

Tripoli

$4.4 * 0.8%

Tehran

$7.8 1.2% 78% $3.4

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 $418 in Tehran. 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 21% higher in Tripoli, 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 $18.00 in Tehran. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $117 vs $126 – making Tripoli the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Tripoli

🇮🇷 Tehran

🕒 Local time

14:35 2:35 PM

16:05 4:05 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Tripoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,127,000 Capital

8,000,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

USD USD

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.139 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to LYD – Libyan Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇾 Libyan Dinar (ل.د)

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).

USD exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to LYD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Tripoli Tehran 3,500 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Tripoli
Tehran

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 Tehran: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Tehran is pricier by about 18%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $807 per month in Tripoli and $949 in Tehran. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Tripoli, 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 $633 in Tehran. That's a gap of about 18%.

Kindergarten costs $53.1 per month in Tripoli and $107 in Tehran. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $538 in Tripoli and $633 in Tehran, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Tripoli – 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 Tripoli. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tehran makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.