Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beirut and Baabda

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.

81

Cost of Living Index in Beirut
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Beirut Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Baabda
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Baabda Living Index

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Beirut

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,666

/mo nomad

Baabda

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,008

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Beirut and in Baabda

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 Baabda actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Beirut $1,666
Baabda $1,008

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

Beirut $2,656
Baabda $1,611

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

Beirut $3,646
Baabda $2,213

Living in Beirut is roughly 65% more expensive than in Baabda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.20 LBP 1.1M

$11.98 LBP 1.1M

1.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.7 LBP 6.2M

$68.0 LBP 6.1M

2.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.10 LBP 903.6K

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

0.20%

Cappuccino

$4.48 LBP 400.8K

$4.60 LBP 411.8K

-2.61%

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

$2.26 LBP 202.4K

$2.40 LBP 214.7K

-5.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 LBP 79.8K

$0.85 LBP 76.3K

4.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.03 LBP 450.1K

$4.92 LBP 440.0K

2.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.79 LBP 428.8K

$4.79 LBP 428.4K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 LBP 172.1K

$1.97 LBP 176.3K

-2.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 LBP 76.8K

$0.91 LBP 81.9K

-5.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 LBP 207.2K

$2.34 LBP 209.0K

-1.28%

Eggs

$3.63 LBP 324.6K

$3.67 LBP 328.8K

-1.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.19 LBP 1.0M

$10.96 LBP 980.6K

2.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 LBP 930.8K

$10.50 LBP 940.1K

-0.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.04 LBP 1.3M

$14.97 LBP 1.3M

0.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.15 LBP 281.5K

$3.03 LBP 271.5K

3.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.71 LBP 152.9K

$1.71 LBP 153.5K

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 LBP 144.6K

$1.69 LBP 150.8K

-4.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 LBP 132.2K

$1.51 LBP 135.5K

-1.99%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 LBP 108.6K

$1.26 LBP 112.6K

-3.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 LBP 144.1K

$1.60 LBP 143.3K

0.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 LBP 103.9K

$1.20 LBP 107.7K

-3.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 LBP 64.7K

$0.73 LBP 65.0K

-1.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.02 LBP 270.2K

$3.02 LBP 270.6K

Wine (Bottle)

$11.14 LBP 997.3K

$11.16 LBP 999.2K

-0.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 LBP 118.3K

$1.28 LBP 114.9K

3.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 LBP 231.0K

$2.48 LBP 221.7K

4.03%

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)

$4.91 LBP 439.2K

$4.93 LBP 441.6K

-0.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.26 LBP 202.3K

$2.30 LBP 205.9K

-1.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.59 LBP 2.0M

$22.28 LBP 2.0M

1.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 LBP 96.8K

$1.05 LBP 93.7K

2.86%

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

$53.2K LBP 4.8B

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

-0.18%

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

$32.3K LBP 2.9B

$32.7K LBP 2.9B

-1.03%

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

$232 LBP 20.7M

$236 LBP 21.2M

-1.94%

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

$21.83 LBP 2.0M

$22.34 LBP 2.0M

-2.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.27 LBP 3.4M

$37.79 LBP 3.4M

1.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$83.5 LBP 7.5M

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.39 LBP 3.1M

Cinema Ticket

$9.91 LBP 887.2K

$10.08 LBP 901.9K

-1.69%

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

$683 LBP 61.1M

$686 LBP 61.4M

-0.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.8K LBP 969.2M

$10.6K LBP 952.0M

1.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.3 LBP 6.1M

$68.9 LBP 6.2M

-0.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.77 LBP 4.5M

$50.2 LBP 4.5M

-0.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$138 LBP 12.3M

$139 LBP 12.4M

-1.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 LBP 10.7M

$118 LBP 10.6M

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 Beirut: October 12, 2026

Last update for Baabda: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beirut

$493 29.6%

Baabda

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beirut

$292 17.5%

Baabda

$297 29.4% 1.6% $4.6

Groceries & Markets

Beirut

$276 16.6%

Baabda

$277 27.5% 0.3% $0.9

Eating Out

Beirut

$229 13.7%

Baabda

$228 22.7% 0.2% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Beirut

$169 10.1%

Baabda

$169 16.8% 0.5% $0.9

Getting Around

Beirut

$103 6.2%

Baabda

$16 * 1.6% 84.1% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Beirut

$103 6.2%

Baabda

$20 * 2% 80.5% $83

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇱🇧 Beirut

🇱🇧 Baabda

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

Same time as Beirut

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,916,100 Capital

9,000

💱 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

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Beirut Baabda 7 km

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Beirut
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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

Beirut vs Baabda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You'd need roughly $2,498 in Beirut and $1,512 in Baabda 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 $683 in Beirut versus $686 in Baabda. 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.