Living in Benghazi, Libya
Benghazi is a mid-sized coastal city in Banghazi, Libya (250,000 to 1 million people in the city proper). It has a warm climate, averaging 21°C over the year with about 204 mm of rain. We estimate a couple needs about €2,470 a month to live centrally. For foreigners, long-term residency in Libya is hard to obtain.
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- Est. cost
- €2,470
- a month for a couple
- Climate
- 21°C
- 204 mm rain a year
- Size
- Mid-sized
- 250,000 to 1 million people
- Safety
- 42/100
- country-level
- Residency
- Hard to obtain
- for most foreigners
Limited data for Libya. Figures for safety, healthcare, cost of living and political stability in Libya are country-level estimates from World Bank indicators, each named with its year. We have no tax, English, social openness or internet speed figures for Libya, so the quiz scores those factors conservatively and this page leaves them out.
Travel advisory. As of 13 October 2026, the US State Department advises against all travel to Libya ("Level 4: Do Not Travel"). Our quiz and best-cities lists leave Benghazi out, and the safety figures below are country averages that do not reflect the advisory. Read the current advisory on travel.state.gov and your own government's travel advice.
What stands out about Benghazi
- Dry: about 204 mm of rain a year
- Long-term residency is hard to obtain
- On or near the sea
Residency and visas
Hard to obtain. The only realistic long-term routes are an employer-sponsored work-and-residence permit (one-year, renewable while employment lasts) or a residence permit tied to running an approved project under the 2010 Investment Law; there is no permanent residency and no retirement, passive-income, or independent-means route.
For short visits, 2 of 198 passports can enter visa-free, 188 can get an e-visa or visa on arrival and 8 need a visa in advance.
Source: OurNextCity residency dataset, hand-reviewed approximations researched against published immigration rules. Not legal advice: check the official source before you apply. Short-stay entry from the passport-index dataset (ilyankou, MIT).
Safety and stability
Libya scores 42 out of 100 on safety, safer than 6% of the cities we compare. Its estimated democracy score is 3.1 out of 10.
Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Libya: Worldwide Governance Indicators Political Stability and Absence of Violence estimate (GOV_WGI_PV.EST, 2025) and life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables (higher is safer). Stability: Worldwide Governance Indicators Voice and Accountability estimate (GOV_WGI_VA.EST, 2025), calibrated to the EIU Democracy Index scale. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.
Climate
Benghazi averages 21°C across the year with about 204 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very dry. It is warmer than 56% of the 1225 cities we track, and it sits on the coast.
Source: Temperature from the Open-Meteo historical weather archive, daily means for 2019 to 2023; rainfall from TerraClimate (University of Idaho) 1991 to 2020 normals. Annual averages; monthly breakdowns are not in our dataset yet.
Healthcare
Libya scores 57 out of 100 for healthcare, stronger than 24% of the cities we compare.
Source: Country-level estimate, the same for every city in Libya: life expectancy at birth (SP.DYN.LE00.IN, 2024) and current health spending per person in US dollars (SH.XPD.CHEX.PC.CD, 2023), calibrated to the 0 to 100 scale of our reference tables. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.
Cost of living
We estimate a couple needs about €2,470 a month to live centrally in Benghazi, 9% below the €2,729 median across the 900 cities we compare. That makes it more affordable than 73% of them.
Source: OurNextCity model from the price level of GDP relative to the United States, from GDP per person in US dollars and at purchasing power parity (NY.GDP.PCAP.CD/NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD, 2025), calibrated to our country-level cost index (New York = 100) and scaled up for larger cities. An estimate for comparing cities, not a budget. Source: The World Bank (World Development Indicators, Worldwide Governance Indicators), CC BY 4.0.
Questions couples ask about Benghazi
Is Benghazi a good place to live for couples?
It depends on what the two of you weigh most. Compared with the other cities we track, Benghazi scores well on affordability. It is weaker on safety, healthcare and political stability. Our figures for Libya are partial: no tax, English, social openness or internet speed data, and country-level World Bank estimates for the rest. Expect a warm, very dry climate (21°C average). OurNextCity has each partner answer 12 questions privately, then ranks 915 cities for both of you at once.
How much does it cost a couple to live in Benghazi?
We estimate about €2,470 a month for a couple living centrally, 9% below the €2,729 median across the cities we compare. It is a model estimate from the World Bank price level of GDP for Libya, calibrated to our country-level cost index adjusted for city size, so use it to compare cities rather than to set a budget.
Can foreigners live in Libya long term?
Our assessment: hard to obtain. The only realistic long-term routes are an employer-sponsored work-and-residence permit (one-year, renewable while employment lasts) or a residence permit tied to running an approved project under the 2010 Investment Law; there is no permanent residency and no retirement, passive-income, or independent-means route.
What is the weather like in Benghazi?
Benghazi averages 21°C across the year with about 204 mm of rain, which makes it warm and very dry. It is warmer than 56% of the cities we track.
Cities like Benghazi
Closest matches in other countries on climate, size and distance to the coast.