Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Byblos and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Byblos: $1,026 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $6,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Byblos
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Byblos Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Byblos

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,026

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Byblos and in Cape Town

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,026 in Byblos versus $1,568 in Cape Town.

Byblos $1,026
Cape Town $1,568

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,629 in Byblos versus $2,438 in Cape Town.

Byblos $1,629
Cape Town $2,438

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,231 in Byblos versus $3,307 in Cape Town.

Byblos $2,231
Cape Town $3,307

Living in Byblos costs roughly 35% less than in Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

The two cities straddle the global median: Byblos is 23% below, Cape Town is 17% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.17 LBP 820.3K

$11.78 R 194

-22.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.55 LBP 3.8M

$46.55 R 768

-8.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.19 LBP 643.6K

$5.96 R 98.4

20.64%

Cappuccino

$2.94 LBP 262.9K

$2.47 R 40.80

19.03%

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

$0.98 LBP 88.0K

$1.33 R 21.91

-26.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 LBP 90.5K

$1.03 R 16.99

-1.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.01 R 49.72

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 R 60.4

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 LBP 113.2K

$1.39 R 22.96

-9.35%

White Bread (500g)

$0.66 LBP 59.4K

$1.19 R 19.60

-44.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 LBP 137.9K

$2.11 R 34.84

-27.01%

Eggs

$2.15 LBP 192.3K

$3.01 R 49.58

-28.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 LBP 820.2K

$8.96 R 148

2.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.09 LBP 724.5K

$6.65 R 110

21.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.19 LBP 1.1M

$9.29 R 153

31.22%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 LBP 271.0K

$1.83 R 30.13

65.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 LBP 174.7K

$1.90 R 31.31

2.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.01 LBP 90.6K

$1.75 R 28.83

-42.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 LBP 184.1K

$2.09 R 34.41

-1.44%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 LBP 88.0K

$1.55 R 25.64

-36.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 LBP 87.3K

$1.49 R 24.53

-34.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 LBP 91.9K

$1.30 R 21.41

-20.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 LBP 90.9K

$1.16 R 19.19

-12.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.71 R 61.2

Wine (Bottle)

$3.98 LBP 356.3K

$6.06 R 100

-34.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 LBP 137.2K

$1.39 R 22.85

10.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 LBP 177.4K

$2.20 R 36.32

-10.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.97 LBP 87.2K

$1.51 R 24.98

-35.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 LBP 87.5K

$1.53 R 25.29

-35.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 LBP 82.8K

$1.58 R 26.08

-41.14%

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

$22.2K LBP 2.0B

$35.5K R 585.7K

-37.43%

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

$22.6K LBP 2.0B

$31.7K R 523.8K

-28.91%

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

$101 LBP 9.0M

$116 R 1,920

-13.19%

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

$22.81 LBP 2.0M

$28.37 R 468

-19.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.64 LBP 2.2M

$40.69 R 671

-39.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.96 LBP 3.4M

$48.85 R 806

-22.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$40.26 LBP 3.6M

$11.13 R 184

261.73%

Cinema Ticket

$10.17 LBP 910.4K

$8.83 R 146

15.18%

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

$392 LBP 35.1M

$261 R 4,314

49.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,053 LBP 273.2M

$6,702 R 110.6K

-54.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.2 LBP 8.8M

$55.4 R 914

77.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$101 LBP 9.0M

$32.27 R 532

212.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 LBP 10.6M

$118 R 1,939

0.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 LBP 13.5M

$107 R 1,766

41.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$304 LBP 27.2M

$1,015 R 16.7K

-70.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$223 LBP 20.0M

$715 R 11.8K

-68.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$792 LBP 70.9M

$1,801 R 29.7K

-56.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$403 LBP 36.0M

$1,330 R 22.0K

-69.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,360 LBP 121.7M

$2,331 R 38.5K

-41.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$841 LBP 75.2M

$1,513 R 25.0K

-44.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,005 LBP 89.9M

$1,636 R 27.0K

-38.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

-27.07%

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

Last update for Byblos: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Byblos

$223 22.1%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 221% $492

Groceries & Markets

Byblos

$221 21.9%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 0.8% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Byblos

$211 20.9%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 33.3% $70

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Byblos

$148 14.7%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 24.9% $37

Eating Out

Byblos

$138 * 13.7%

Cape Town

$174 11% 25.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Byblos

$58 5.8%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 14.1% $8.2

Getting Around

Byblos

$8.8 * 0.9%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 757% $67

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $304 in Byblos and $1,015 in Cape Town. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cape Town pays 63% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $43.00 in Byblos vs $47.00 in Cape Town for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $221 vs $222 per month, with Byblos cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Byblos

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:26 5:26 AM

04:26 4:26 AM

1 h behind Byblos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,784

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000,000 LBP = 11.17 USD

1,000,000 LBP = 9.96 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to LBP – Lebanese Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇧 Lebanese Pound (ل.ل)

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,381 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.96 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to LBP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Byblos Cape Town 7,780 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Byblos
Cape Town

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

Byblos vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Byblos is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and leisure. The 53% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 63% lower in Cape Town. 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: $304 in Byblos versus $1,015 in Cape Town. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $392 in Byblos versus $261 in Cape Town. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Byblos – a meal for two runs $43.00 versus $47.00 in Cape Town. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,026 in Byblos versus $1,568 in Cape Town, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Byblos but tight or insufficient in Cape Town. The gap between the two cities makes Byblos the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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

Expats usually find Byblos gentler on the wallet – expenses run 53% less than in Cape Town. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.