Libya

Cost of living

What a month costs

Fuel and bread are heavily subsidised, so daily basics feel cheap. Imported goods, a weak dinar and a cash-strapped banking system make real budgeting unpredictable.

The scores

How it rates for a moving family

See and do

Top 10 in Tripoli

1. Red Castle (Assaraya al-Hamra)Sprawling fortress above the harbour that houses the national museum.
2. Arch of Marcus AureliusSecond-century Roman triumphal arch still standing in the old medina.
3. Tripoli MedinaWalled old town of covered souks, mosques and shuttered Ottoman houses.
4. Martyrs' SquareThe city's grand central plaza set just back from the seafront.
5. Gurgi MosqueEarly nineteenth-century mosque prized for its fine tilework and carved details.
6. Karamanli MosqueDomed Ottoman-era mosque tucked into the heart of the medina.
7. Tripoli CornicheWaterfront promenade tracing the Mediterranean along the city edge.
8. Algeria SquareBusy square around the former cathedral, now the Jamal Abdel Nasser Mosque.
9. Souq al-MushirAtmospheric covered market lane running through the old town.

Where to go

Weekend escapes

1. Leptis MagnaOne of the finest Roman cities anywhere, near Al-Khums about two hours east along the coast.
2. SabrathaSeaside Roman ruins crowned by a grand theatre, roughly an hour west of the city.
3. GharyanAmazigh highland town known for its underground courtyard houses, south in the Nafusa hills.
4. Nafusa MountainsBerber villages, hilltop granaries and cooler air inland from the coastal plain.
5. ZuwaraEasygoing Amazigh coastal town out west toward the Tunisian border.