Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baabda and Beirut

For one person, living is cheaper in Baabda: $1,008 a month against $1,666 in Beirut, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Baabda
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Baabda Living Index
81

Cost of Living Index in Beirut
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Beirut Living Index

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Baabda

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,008

/mo nomad

Beirut

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Baabda and in Beirut

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Baabda and in Beirut actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,008 in Baabda versus $1,666 in Beirut.

Baabda $1,008
Beirut $1,666

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,611 in Baabda versus $2,656 in Beirut.

Baabda $1,611
Beirut $2,656

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,213 in Baabda versus $3,646 in Beirut.

Baabda $2,213
Beirut $3,646

Living in Baabda costs roughly 39% less than in Beirut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: Baabda is 25% below, Beirut is 23% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.98 LBP 1.1M

$12.20 LBP 1.1M

-1.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.0 LBP 6.1M

$69.7 LBP 6.2M

-2.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

$10.10 LBP 903.6K

-0.20%

Cappuccino

$4.60 LBP 411.8K

$4.48 LBP 400.8K

2.68%

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

$2.40 LBP 214.7K

$2.26 LBP 202.4K

6.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 LBP 76.3K

$0.89 LBP 79.8K

-4.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.92 LBP 440.0K

$5.03 LBP 450.1K

-2.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 LBP 428.4K

$4.79 LBP 428.8K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.97 LBP 176.3K

$1.92 LBP 172.1K

2.60%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 LBP 81.9K

$0.86 LBP 76.8K

5.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.34 LBP 209.0K

$2.31 LBP 207.2K

1.30%

Eggs

$3.67 LBP 328.8K

$3.63 LBP 324.6K

1.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.96 LBP 980.6K

$11.19 LBP 1.0M

-2.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.50 LBP 940.1K

$10.40 LBP 930.8K

0.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.97 LBP 1.3M

$15.04 LBP 1.3M

-0.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 LBP 271.5K

$3.15 LBP 281.5K

-3.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 LBP 153.5K

$1.71 LBP 152.9K

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 LBP 150.8K

$1.62 LBP 144.6K

4.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 LBP 135.5K

$1.48 LBP 132.2K

2.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 LBP 112.6K

$1.21 LBP 108.6K

4.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.60 LBP 143.3K

$1.61 LBP 144.1K

-0.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 LBP 107.7K

$1.16 LBP 103.9K

3.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 LBP 65.0K

$0.72 LBP 64.7K

1.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 LBP 270.6K

$3.02 LBP 270.2K

Wine (Bottle)

$11.16 LBP 999.2K

$11.14 LBP 997.3K

0.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 LBP 114.9K

$1.32 LBP 118.3K

-3.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 LBP 221.7K

$2.58 LBP 231.0K

-3.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 LBP 204.1K

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$77.9 LBP 7.0M

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.93 LBP 441.6K

$4.91 LBP 439.2K

0.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.30 LBP 205.9K

$2.26 LBP 202.3K

1.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.28 LBP 2.0M

$22.59 LBP 2.0M

-1.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.05 LBP 93.7K

$1.08 LBP 96.8K

-2.78%

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

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

$53.2K LBP 4.8B

0.18%

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

$32.7K LBP 2.9B

$32.3K LBP 2.9B

1.04%

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

$236 LBP 21.2M

$232 LBP 20.7M

1.98%

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

$22.34 LBP 2.0M

$21.83 LBP 2.0M

2.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.79 LBP 3.4M

$38.27 LBP 3.4M

-1.25%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.5 LBP 7.5M

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.39 LBP 3.1M

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

$9.91 LBP 887.2K

1.72%

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

$686 LBP 61.4M

$683 LBP 61.1M

0.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K LBP 952.0M

$10.8K LBP 969.2M

-1.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.9 LBP 6.2M

$68.3 LBP 6.1M

0.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 LBP 4.5M

$49.77 LBP 4.5M

0.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$139 LBP 12.4M

$138 LBP 12.3M

1.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$118 LBP 10.6M

$119 LBP 10.7M

-0.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$944 LBP 84.5M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$493 LBP 44.2M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,191 LBP 196.1M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 LBP 94.3M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,042 LBP 361.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,848 LBP 165.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$698 LBP 62.5M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Baabda: October 12, 2026

Last update for Beirut: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baabda

$297 29.4%

Beirut

$292 17.5% 1.6% $4.6

Groceries & Markets

Baabda

$277 27.5%

Beirut

$276 16.6% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Baabda

$228 22.7%

Beirut

$229 13.7% 0.2% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Baabda

$169 16.8%

Beirut

$169 10.1% 0.5% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Baabda

$20 * 2%

Beirut

$103 6.2% 413% $83

Getting Around

Baabda

$16 * 1.6%

Beirut

$103 6.2% 528% $87

Accommodation & Living

Baabda

- * 0%

Beirut

$493 29.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68.0 in Baabda vs $70.0 in Beirut. Groceries flip the comparison at $277 vs $276, with Beirut cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Baabda

🇱🇧 Beirut

🕒 Local time

08:41 8:41 AM

Same time as Baabda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,000

1,916,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Baabda Beirut 7 km

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Baabda
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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

Baabda vs Beirut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baabda and Beirut differ by about 65% in total monthly costs ($1,008 vs $1,666 including rent). Baabda is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $1,512 in Baabda and $2,498 in Beirut 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.

Childcare runs $686 in Baabda versus $683 in Beirut. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Baabda – a meal for two runs $68.0 versus $70.0 in Beirut. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,008 in Baabda versus $1,666 in Beirut, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Baabda but tight or insufficient in Beirut. The gap between the two cities makes Baabda the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Baabda gentler on the wallet – expenses run 65% less than in Beirut. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.