Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tripoli and Zawiya

For one person, living is cheaper in Zawiya: $441 a month against $541 in Tripoli, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

26

Cost of Living Index in Tripoli
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Tripoli Living Index
21

Cost of Living Index in Zawiya
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Zawiya Living Index

Jump to prices

Tripoli

🇱🇾 Libya

$541

/mo nomad

Zawiya

🇱🇾 Libya

$441

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tripoli and in Zawiya

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $541 in Tripoli versus $441 in Zawiya.

Tripoli $541
Zawiya $441

Estimated couple costs with rent: $818 in Tripoli versus $686 in Zawiya.

Tripoli $818
Zawiya $686

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,095 in Tripoli versus $930 in Zawiya.

Tripoli $1,095
Zawiya $930

Living in Tripoli is roughly 23% more expensive than in Zawiya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tripoli 60% lower, Zawiya 68% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.00 LYD 25.66

$2.30 LYD 14.74

73.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.82 LYD 101

$15.47 LYD 99.2

2.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.69 LYD 17.23

$2.71 LYD 17.39

-0.74%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.59 LYD 3.78

$0.45 LYD 2.87

31.11%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 LYD 4.31

$0.65 LYD 4.14

3.08%

Cappuccino

$0.44 LYD 2.84

$0.44 LYD 2.82

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

$0.42 LYD 2.71

$0.44 LYD 2.84

-4.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 LYD 0.72

$0.11 LYD 0.71

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 LYD 6.23

$0.91 LYD 5.82

6.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.22 LYD 1.41

$0.20 LYD 1.28

10.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 LYD 7.61

$1.01 LYD 6.50

17.82%

Eggs

$1.41 LYD 9.01

$1.35 LYD 8.66

4.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.10 LYD 32.71

$4.74 LYD 30.38

7.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.54 LYD 22.71

$3.57 LYD 22.88

-0.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.45 LYD 60.6

$8.86 LYD 56.8

6.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 LYD 14.88

$2.02 LYD 12.92

14.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 LYD 9.44

Oranges (1kg)

$0.70 LYD 4.50

$0.70 LYD 4.49

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 LYD 3.79

$0.51 LYD 3.27

15.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 LYD 4.67

$0.58 LYD 3.72

25.86%

Onion (1kg)

$0.46 LYD 2.97

$0.26 LYD 1.64

76.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 LYD 2.74

$0.30 LYD 1.91

43.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.19 LYD 1.22

$0.16 LYD 1.05

18.75%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$1.74 LYD 11.14

$0.79 LYD 5.07

120.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 LYD 6.04

$0.72 LYD 4.59

30.56%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 LYD 4.97

$0.75 LYD 4.83

4.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.00 LYD 12.83

$1.67 LYD 10.71

19.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.30 LYD 1.91

$0.74 LYD 4.76

-59.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.22 LYD 251

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 LYD 5.12

$0.75 LYD 4.79

6.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 LYD 2.91

$0.45 LYD 2.87

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 LYD 14.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.12

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

$23.0K LYD 147.7K

$15.5K LYD 99.4K

48.59%

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

$21.4K LYD 137.1K

$16.8K LYD 107.4K

27.61%

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

$91.9 LYD 589

$94.4 LYD 605

-2.67%

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

$6.17 LYD 39.52

$5.57 LYD 35.69

10.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.64 LYD 171

$12.25 LYD 78.5

117.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.67 LYD 158

$17.31 LYD 111

42.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$2.40 LYD 15.41

$4.01 LYD 25.70

-40.15%

Cinema Ticket

$3.92 LYD 25.15

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

$52.8 LYD 338

$51.5 LYD 330

2.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,564 LYD 10.0K

$897 LYD 5,749

74.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.65 LYD 145

$20.81 LYD 133

8.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.59 LYD 113

$44.19 LYD 283

-60.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$63.9 LYD 409

$30.99 LYD 199

106.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.6 LYD 427

$31.62 LYD 203

110.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$359 LYD 2,302

$88.9 LYD 570

304.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$146 LYD 939

$58.4 LYD 375

150.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$614 LYD 3,937

$164 LYD 1,049

275.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$263 LYD 1,685

$121 LYD 772

118.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$347 LYD 2,227

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$98.1 LYD 629

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$250 LYD 1,603

$251 LYD 1,609

-0.37%

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

Last update for Tripoli: October 26, 2026

Last update for Zawiya: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tripoli

$146 27%

Zawiya

$58 13.2% 60.1% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tripoli

$125 23%

Zawiya

$112 25.4% 10% $12

Groceries & Markets

Tripoli

$117 21.6%

Zawiya

$109 24.7% 6.9% $8.1

Clothing & Footwear

Tripoli

$77 14.2%

Zawiya

$57 13% 25.3% $19

Eating Out

Tripoli

$48 8.8%

Zawiya

$34 7.7% 28.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Tripoli

$25 * 4.6%

Zawiya

$25 5.7% 1.9% $0.5

Getting Around

Tripoli

$4.3 * 0.8%

Zawiya

$45 10.2% 958% $41

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 $359 in Tripoli and $89 in Zawiya. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $16 in Tripoli vs $15 in Zawiya for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $117 vs $109 per month, with Zawiya cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Tripoli

🇱🇾 Zawiya

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

Same time as Tripoli

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,127,000 Capital

318,726

💱 Currency

Libyan Dinar LYD ل.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.14 EUR

1 LYD = 0.156 USD

1 LYD = 0.14 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Tripoli Zawiya 44 km

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Tripoli
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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 Zawiya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zawiya is about 18% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, utilities, and eating out. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $812 in Tripoli and $662 in Zawiya to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $359 in Tripoli versus $89 in Zawiya. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Tripoli. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $541 per month in Tripoli versus $441 in Zawiya – Zawiya is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Zawiya gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

For families, Zawiya is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Tripoli, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.