Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zawiya and Benghazi

For one person, living is cheaper in Benghazi: $420 a month against $441 in Zawiya, rent and utilities included – about $250 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Zawiya outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

21

Cost of Living Index in Zawiya
Learn more

Zawiya Living Index
20

Cost of Living Index in Benghazi
Learn more

Benghazi Living Index

Jump to prices

Zawiya

🇱🇾 Libya

$441

/mo nomad

Benghazi

🇱🇾 Libya

$420

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $441 per month in Zawiya vs $420 in Benghazi, rent included.

Zawiya $441
Benghazi $420

A couple spends around $686 per month in Zawiya vs $706 in Benghazi, rent included.

Zawiya $686
Benghazi $706

A family of three spends $930 per month in Zawiya vs $992 in Benghazi, rent included.

Zawiya $930
Benghazi $992

Zawiya costs about 5% more than Benghazi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Zawiya and Benghazi are more affordable than the global median – Zawiya 68% lower, Benghazi 69% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.30 LYD 14.74

$2.39 LYD 15.30

-3.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.47 LYD 99.2

$12.49 LYD 80.1

23.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.71 LYD 17.39

$2.37 LYD 15.16

14.35%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.45 LYD 2.87

$2.04 LYD 13.06

-77.94%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.65 LYD 4.14

$0.41 LYD 2.62

58.54%

Cappuccino

$0.44 LYD 2.82

$0.70 LYD 4.50

-37.14%

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

$0.44 LYD 2.84

$0.43 LYD 2.77

2.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.11 LYD 0.71

$0.14 LYD 0.90

-21.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 LYD 5.82

$0.76 LYD 4.87

19.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.20 LYD 1.28

$0.19 LYD 1.19

5.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.01 LYD 6.50

$1.41 LYD 9.07

-28.37%

Eggs

$1.35 LYD 8.66

$1.69 LYD 10.86

-20.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.74 LYD 30.38

$6.32 LYD 40.49

-25.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.57 LYD 22.88

$2.80 LYD 17.92

27.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.86 LYD 56.8

$11.21 LYD 71.8

-20.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.02 LYD 12.92

$2.30 LYD 14.73

-12.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 LYD 9.44

$1.73 LYD 11.06

-15.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.70 LYD 4.49

$1.19 LYD 7.64

-41.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.51 LYD 3.27

$0.75 LYD 4.84

-32.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 LYD 3.72

$0.82 LYD 5.26

-29.27%

Onion (1kg)

$0.26 LYD 1.64

$0.59 LYD 3.81

-55.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 LYD 1.91

$0.35 LYD 2.22

-14.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.16 LYD 1.05

$0.23 LYD 1.48

-30.43%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$0.79 LYD 5.07

$2.41 LYD 15.44

-67.22%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 LYD 4.59

$0.56 LYD 3.60

28.57%

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 LYD 4.83

$0.79 LYD 5.08

-5.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.67 LYD 10.71

$1.83 LYD 11.75

-8.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 LYD 4.76

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.22 LYD 251

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.75 LYD 4.79

$1.54 LYD 9.85

-51.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.45 LYD 2.87

$0.30 LYD 1.90

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 LYD 14.80

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.02 LYD 0.12

$0.02 LYD 0.14

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

$15.5K LYD 99.4K

$12.3K LYD 79.0K

25.76%

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

$16.8K LYD 107.4K

$14.7K LYD 94.1K

14.16%

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

$94.4 LYD 605

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

$5.57 LYD 35.69

$4.50 LYD 28.86

23.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.25 LYD 78.5

$18.51 LYD 119

-33.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.31 LYD 111

$17.63 LYD 113

-1.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.01 LYD 25.70

$3.81 LYD 24.41

5.25%

Cinema Ticket

$3.92 LYD 25.15

$6.35 LYD 40.67

-38.27%

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

$51.5 LYD 330

$78.6 LYD 504

-34.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$897 LYD 5,749

$350 LYD 2,240

156.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.81 LYD 133

$41.65 LYD 267

-50.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.19 LYD 283

$34.51 LYD 221

28.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$30.99 LYD 199

$42.93 LYD 275

-27.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.62 LYD 203

$68.4 LYD 438

-53.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$88.9 LYD 570

$188 LYD 1,203

-52.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$58.4 LYD 375

$115 LYD 740

-49.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$164 LYD 1,049

$435 LYD 2,790

-62.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$121 LYD 772

$253 LYD 1,621

-52.34%

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)

$251 LYD 1,609

$263 LYD 1,686

-4.60%

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

Last update for Zawiya: October 26, 2026

Last update for Benghazi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zawiya

$112 25.4%

Benghazi

$23 * 5.5% 79.5% $89

Groceries & Markets

Zawiya

$109 24.7%

Benghazi

$127 30.2% 16.3% $18

Accommodation & Living

Zawiya

$58 13.2%

Benghazi

$115 27.5% 97.5% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Zawiya

$57 13%

Benghazi

$84 20.1% 46.9% $27

Getting Around

Zawiya

$45 10.2%

Benghazi

$3 * 0.7% 93.3% $42

Eating Out

Zawiya

$34 7.7%

Benghazi

$37 8.8% 8.4% $2.9

Sport & Entertainment

Zawiya

$25 5.7%

Benghazi

$30 7.2% 20.6% $5.2

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $89 in Zawiya versus $188 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 5% 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 $15 in Zawiya versus $12 in Benghazi. Groceries tell a different story – $109 in Zawiya vs $127 in Benghazi – so Zawiya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇾 Zawiya

🇱🇾 Benghazi

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

Same time as Zawiya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

318,726

631,555

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zawiya Benghazi 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Zawiya
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

Zawiya vs Benghazi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $441 in Zawiya, $420 in Benghazi – Benghazi comes out roughly 5% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $662 per month in Zawiya and $629 in Benghazi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Zawiya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $89 there versus $188 in Benghazi.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $441 in Zawiya and $420 in Benghazi. That makes Benghazi about 5% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $51 per month in Zawiya and $79 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 $441 in Zawiya and $420 in Benghazi, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.