Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beirut and Al Khobar

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Khobar: $1,487 a month against $1,657 in Beirut, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Beirut
Learn more

Beirut Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Al Khobar
Learn more

Al Khobar Living Index

Jump to prices

Beirut

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,657

/mo nomad

Al Khobar

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,487

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Beirut and in Al Khobar

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,657 in Beirut versus $1,487 in Al Khobar.

Beirut $1,657
Al Khobar $1,487

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,643 in Beirut versus $2,252 in Al Khobar.

Beirut $2,643
Al Khobar $2,252

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,628 in Beirut versus $3,016 in Al Khobar.

Beirut $3,628
Al Khobar $3,016

Living in Beirut is roughly 11% more expensive than in Al Khobar, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Beirut 22% above, Al Khobar 9% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.13 LBP 1.1M

$6.81 SAR 25.57

78.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 LBP 6.1M

$59.9 SAR 225

13.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 LBP 882.6K

$8.00 SAR 30.00

23.25%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.61 SAR 9.80

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.64 SAR 9.92

Cappuccino

$4.46 LBP 399.2K

$4.43 SAR 16.64

0.68%

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

$2.34 LBP 209.6K

$0.87 SAR 3.26

168.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 LBP 80.9K

$0.40 SAR 1.52

125.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 LBP 456.3K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 LBP 437.7K

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 LBP 180.5K

$1.69 SAR 6.36

19.53%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 LBP 81.4K

$1.27 SAR 4.76

-28.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 LBP 196.6K

$2.54 SAR 9.53

-13.39%

Eggs

$3.61 LBP 323.5K

$2.45 SAR 9.21

47.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.87 LBP 973.3K

$7.28 SAR 27.33

49.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 LBP 947.2K

$10.16 SAR 38.14

4.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.12 LBP 1.4M

$11.86 SAR 44.50

27.49%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 LBP 277.0K

$2.66 SAR 9.97

16.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 LBP 149.2K

$1.69 SAR 6.36

-1.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 LBP 151.9K

$2.04 SAR 7.66

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 LBP 137.9K

$1.75 SAR 6.56

-12.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 LBP 113.1K

$1.40 SAR 5.27

-10.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 LBP 137.3K

$1.65 SAR 6.20

-7.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 LBP 103.9K

$1.75 SAR 6.55

-33.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 LBP 63.8K

$0.58 SAR 2.18

22.41%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.73 SAR 10.26

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.65 SAR 6.18

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 SAR 7.13

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 LBP 265.2K

$6.75 SAR 25.31

-56.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 LBP 988.5K

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 LBP 118.0K

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 LBP 233.0K

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 LBP 136.9K

$0.95 SAR 3.55

61.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.4 LBP 6.7M

$61.9 SAR 232

21.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 LBP 451.2K

$2.90 SAR 10.88

73.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 LBP 204.0K

$2.64 SAR 9.89

-13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.53 LBP 2.0M

$6.58 SAR 24.68

242.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 LBP 93.2K

$0.64 SAR 2.39

62.50%

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

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

$67.8K SAR 254.5K

-21.35%

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

$33.3K LBP 3.0B

$21.6K SAR 81.0K

54.11%

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

$210 LBP 18.8M

$99.4 SAR 373

111.04%

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

$23.80 LBP 2.1M

$33.37 SAR 125

-28.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.87 LBP 3.4M

$68.9 SAR 259

-45.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.9 LBP 8.6M

$81.3 SAR 305

17.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.37 LBP 3.0M

$36.86 SAR 138

-9.47%

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 LBP 909.0K

$15.26 SAR 57.3

-33.42%

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

$677 LBP 60.6M

$607 SAR 2,279

11.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K LBP 940.9M

$8,542 SAR 32.1K

23.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 LBP 5.9M

$63.4 SAR 238

4.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.92 LBP 4.5M

$82.3 SAR 309

-39.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 LBP 12.7M

$97.8 SAR 367

44.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 LBP 10.8M

$94.4 SAR 354

27.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 LBP 84.7M

$766 SAR 2,876

23.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 LBP 44.3M

$583 SAR 2,189

-15.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,209 LBP 197.7M

$1,247 SAR 4,678

77.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 LBP 93.4M

$906 SAR 3,400

15.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,473 LBP 400.3M

$1,456 SAR 5,463

207.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,892 LBP 169.3M

$1,072 SAR 4,024

76.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 LBP 63.6M

$1,877 SAR 7,045

-62.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.88

87.07%

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

Last update for Beirut: October 27, 2026

Last update for Al Khobar: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beirut

$495 29.9%

Al Khobar

$583 39.2% 17.8% $88

Groceries & Markets

Beirut

$277 16.7%

Al Khobar

$220 14.8% 20.8% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beirut

$271 16.4%

Al Khobar

$202 13.6% 25.7% $70

Eating Out

Beirut

$228 13.8%

Al Khobar

$137 9.2% 40.1% $92

Clothing & Footwear

Beirut

$170 10.3%

Al Khobar

$152 10.2% 10.7% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Beirut

$116 7%

Al Khobar

$112 7.5% 3.8% $4.4

Getting Around

Beirut

$98 5.9%

Al Khobar

$82 5.5% 16.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $946 in Beirut and $766 in Al Khobar. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Al Khobar pays about 2.6 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $68 in Beirut vs $60 in Al Khobar for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $277 vs $220 per month, with Al Khobar cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Beirut

🇸🇦 Al Khobar

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

22:01 10:01 PM

1 h ahead of Beirut

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,916,100 Capital

219,679

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.239 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 99,632 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

USD to LBP in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Beirut Al Khobar 1,640 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Beirut
Al Khobar

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

Beirut vs Al Khobar: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Khobar wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Beirut. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Al Khobar the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Beirut. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $946 in Beirut versus $766 in Al Khobar. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Al Khobar runs roughly 18% less than in Beirut. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $677 in Beirut versus $607 in Al Khobar. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Al Khobar is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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

Expats usually find Al Khobar gentler on the wallet – expenses run 10% less than in Beirut. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.