Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beirut and Zahlah

For one person, living is cheaper in Zahlah: $985 a month against $1,657 in Beirut, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Beirut
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Beirut Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Zahlah
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Zahlah Living Index

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Beirut

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,657

/mo nomad

Zahlah

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$985

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Beirut and in Zahlah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,657 in Beirut versus $985 in Zahlah.

Beirut $1,657
Zahlah $985

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,643 in Beirut versus $1,588 in Zahlah.

Beirut $2,643
Zahlah $1,588

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,628 in Beirut versus $2,191 in Zahlah.

Beirut $3,628
Zahlah $2,191

Living in Beirut is roughly 68% more expensive than in Zahlah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Beirut is 22% above, Zahlah is 28% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.13 LBP 1.1M

$12.19 LBP 1.1M

-0.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.2 LBP 6.1M

$68.8 LBP 6.2M

-0.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.86 LBP 882.6K

$9.95 LBP 890.4K

-0.90%

Cappuccino

$4.46 LBP 399.2K

$4.45 LBP 398.4K

0.22%

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

$2.34 LBP 209.6K

$2.29 LBP 204.9K

2.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 LBP 80.9K

$0.89 LBP 80.0K

1.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.10 LBP 456.3K

$5.13 LBP 459.4K

-0.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 LBP 437.7K

$4.89 LBP 437.3K

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 LBP 180.5K

$1.93 LBP 173.0K

4.66%

White Bread (500g)

$0.91 LBP 81.4K

$0.90 LBP 80.7K

1.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 LBP 196.6K

$2.17 LBP 194.5K

1.38%

Eggs

$3.61 LBP 323.5K

$3.65 LBP 326.5K

-1.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.87 LBP 973.3K

$11.13 LBP 996.0K

-2.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.58 LBP 947.2K

$10.40 LBP 930.4K

1.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.12 LBP 1.4M

$14.93 LBP 1.3M

1.27%

Apples (1kg)

$3.10 LBP 277.0K

$3.05 LBP 272.8K

1.64%

Banana (1kg)

$1.67 LBP 149.2K

$1.70 LBP 152.0K

-1.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 LBP 151.9K

$1.61 LBP 144.1K

5.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 LBP 137.9K

$1.53 LBP 136.9K

0.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 LBP 113.1K

$1.21 LBP 108.5K

4.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.53 LBP 137.3K

$1.56 LBP 139.6K

-1.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 LBP 103.9K

$1.18 LBP 105.4K

-1.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 LBP 63.8K

$0.68 LBP 61.3K

4.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.96 LBP 265.2K

$3.04 LBP 271.9K

-2.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.04 LBP 988.5K

$10.86 LBP 972.1K

1.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 LBP 118.0K

$1.27 LBP 113.9K

3.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 LBP 233.0K

$2.46 LBP 219.9K

5.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 LBP 136.9K

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.4 LBP 6.7M

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.04 LBP 451.2K

$4.87 LBP 435.7K

3.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.28 LBP 204.0K

$2.20 LBP 196.9K

3.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.53 LBP 2.0M

$22.80 LBP 2.0M

-1.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 LBP 93.2K

$1.06 LBP 94.5K

-1.89%

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

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

0.05%

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

$33.3K LBP 3.0B

-0.02%

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

$210 LBP 18.8M

$215 LBP 19.3M

-2.60%

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

$23.80 LBP 2.1M

$23.42 LBP 2.1M

1.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.87 LBP 3.4M

$38.29 LBP 3.4M

-1.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.9 LBP 8.6M

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.37 LBP 3.0M

Cinema Ticket

$10.16 LBP 909.0K

$10.04 LBP 898.4K

1.20%

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

$677 LBP 60.6M

$691 LBP 61.8M

-1.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K LBP 940.9M

$10.5K LBP 939.0M

0.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 LBP 5.9M

0.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.92 LBP 4.5M

$49.10 LBP 4.4M

1.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 LBP 12.7M

$140 LBP 12.5M

1.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 LBP 10.8M

$120 LBP 10.7M

0.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 LBP 84.7M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 LBP 44.3M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,209 LBP 197.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 LBP 93.4M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,473 LBP 400.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,892 LBP 169.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 LBP 63.6M

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 27, 2026

Last update for Zahlah: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Beirut

$495 29.9%

Zahlah

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Beirut

$277 16.7%

Zahlah

$274 27.8% 1.2% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beirut

$271 16.4%

Zahlah

$277 28.1% 2.1% $5.6

Eating Out

Beirut

$228 13.8%

Zahlah

$229 23.3% 0.3% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Beirut

$170 10.3%

Zahlah

$169 17.2% 0.8% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Beirut

$116 7%

Zahlah

$20 * 2% 82.7% $96

Getting Around

Beirut

$98 5.9%

Zahlah

$16 * 1.6% 83.8% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $68 in Beirut vs $69 in Zahlah. Groceries flip the comparison at $277 vs $274, with Zahlah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Beirut

🇱🇧 Zahlah

🕒 Local time

22:19 10:19 PM

Same time as Beirut

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,916,100 Capital

78,145

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Beirut Zahlah 37 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 Zahlah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zahlah is about 41% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $2,485 in Beirut and $1,477 in Zahlah 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 $677 in Beirut versus $691 in Zahlah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $1,657 per month in Beirut versus $985 in Zahlah – Zahlah is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $985 in Zahlah versus $1,657 in Beirut, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Zahlah but tight or insufficient in Beirut. The gap between the two cities makes Zahlah 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.