Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Damascus and Homs

For one person, living is cheaper in Homs: $524 a month against $870 in Damascus, rent and utilities included – about $4,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Damascus
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Damascus Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Homs
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Homs Living Index

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Damascus

🇸🇾 Syria

$870

/mo nomad

Homs

🇸🇾 Syria

$524

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Damascus and in Homs

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $870 in Damascus versus $524 in Homs.

Damascus $870
Homs $524

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,410 in Damascus versus $791 in Homs.

Damascus $1,410
Homs $791

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,951 in Damascus versus $1,058 in Homs.

Damascus $1,951
Homs $1,058

Living in Damascus is roughly 66% more expensive than in Homs, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Damascus 36% lower, Homs 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 SYP 1,238

$3.09 SYP 375

229.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$43.30 SYP 5,261

$11.94 SYP 1,450

262.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.80 SYP 827

Cappuccino

$3.79 SYP 461

$0.56 SYP 68.6

576.79%

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

$2.28 SYP 277

$2.18 SYP 265

4.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 SYP 98.9

$0.52 SYP 63.4

55.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.93 SYP 235

$1.95 SYP 237

-1.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.05 SYP 492

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 SYP 134

$0.78 SYP 94.9

41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.39 SYP 47.13

$0.41 SYP 50.2

-4.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 SYP 185

$1.58 SYP 192

-3.80%

Eggs

$1.56 SYP 189

$1.56 SYP 190

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.01 SYP 488

$3.95 SYP 480

1.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.61 SYP 682

$5.82 SYP 708

-3.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.05 SYP 1,707

$12.19 SYP 1,481

15.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 SYP 129

$0.56 SYP 68.2

91.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 SYP 171

$1.43 SYP 174

-1.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 SYP 132

$0.62 SYP 75.3

75.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 SYP 128

$0.34 SYP 40.71

208.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 SYP 97.0

$0.54 SYP 65.9

48.15%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 SYP 92.9

$0.82 SYP 99.3

-7.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 SYP 49.10

$0.29 SYP 35.70

37.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SYP 75.3

$0.66 SYP 79.9

-6.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.72 SYP 331

$1.49 SYP 181

82.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.98 SYP 727

$3.80 SYP 461

57.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 SYP 133

$0.71 SYP 86.5

53.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 SYP 358

$2.96 SYP 360

-0.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 SYP 25.45

$0.20 SYP 24.77

5.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.15 SYP 1,233

$14.82 SYP 1,801

-31.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 SYP 124

$1.01 SYP 123

0.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 SYP 186

$1.47 SYP 179

4.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 SYP 960

$2.05 SYP 250

285.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.68 SYP 447

$1.23 SYP 150

199.19%

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

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

$12.9K SYP 1.6M

17.46%

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

$18.9K SYP 2.3M

$19.1K SYP 2.3M

-1.32%

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

$140 SYP 17.0K

$91.3 SYP 11.1K

53.09%

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

$9.39 SYP 1,141

$9.40 SYP 1,142

-0.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.50 SYP 5,528

$46.45 SYP 5,643

-2.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.57 SYP 3,350

$10.20 SYP 1,239

170.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.41 SYP 1,022

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 SYP 663

$5.36 SYP 651

1.87%

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

$65.4 SYP 7,951

$54.5 SYP 6,627

19.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,770 SYP 215.0K

$897 SYP 109.0K

97.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.26 SYP 3,433

$5.02 SYP 610

462.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.49 SYP 4,920

$19.65 SYP 2,388

106.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.7 SYP 7,252

$60.9 SYP 7,393

-1.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.6 SYP 7,116

$30.64 SYP 3,723

91.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$516 SYP 62.7K

$127 SYP 15.4K

305.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$186 SYP 22.6K

$52.0 SYP 6,318

257.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$846 SYP 102.8K

$345 SYP 41.9K

145.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 SYP 56.2K

$137 SYP 16.7K

237.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,713 SYP 208.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$598 SYP 72.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$79.5 SYP 9,664

$73.3 SYP 8,904

8.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.25

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

Last update for Damascus: October 26, 2026

Last update for Homs: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Damascus

$195 22.4%

Homs

$147 28.1% 24.4% $48

Accommodation & Living

Damascus

$186 21.4%

Homs

$52 9.9% 72.1% $134

Eating Out

Damascus

$178 20.4%

Homs

$81 15.4% 54.6% $97

Groceries & Markets

Damascus

$169 19.5%

Homs

$147 28.1% 13.1% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Damascus

$84 9.7%

Homs

$52 10% 37.9% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Damascus

$38 4.4%

Homs

$21 4% 45.7% $18

Getting Around

Damascus

$20 2.3%

Homs

$24 4.6% 22.1% $4.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $516 in Damascus and $127 in Homs. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Damascus pays 9% 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 in Damascus vs $12 in Homs for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $169 vs $147 per month, with Homs cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Damascus

🇸🇾 Homs

🕒 Local time

01:04 1:04 AM

Same time as Damascus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,414,913 Capital

652,609

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.39 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Damascus vs Homs: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $870 in Damascus and $524 in Homs, so Homs is about 40% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 9% higher in Damascus, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $516 in Damascus versus $127 in Homs. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Homs – a meal for two runs $12 versus $43 in Damascus. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $870 per month in Damascus versus $524 in Homs – Homs is about 40% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Homs gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Homs wins on affordability, Damascus on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.