Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Damascus and Latakia

For one person, living is cheaper in Latakia: $478 a month against $867 in Damascus, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Latakia
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Latakia Living Index

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Damascus

🇸🇾 Syria

$867

/mo nomad

Latakia

🇸🇾 Syria

$478

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Damascus and in Latakia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $867 in Damascus versus $478 in Latakia.

Damascus $867
Latakia $478

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,405 in Damascus versus $790 in Latakia.

Damascus $1,405
Latakia $790

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,943 in Damascus versus $1,103 in Latakia.

Damascus $1,943
Latakia $1,103

Living in Damascus is roughly 81% more expensive than in Latakia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Damascus 36% lower, Latakia 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.90 SYP 1,203

$5.12 SYP 623

93.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.05 SYP 5,109

$29.68 SYP 3,607

41.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.10 SYP 862

$5.36 SYP 652

32.46%

Cappuccino

$3.78 SYP 459

$1.00 SYP 121

278.00%

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

$2.29 SYP 278

$0.93 SYP 113

146.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 SYP 98.7

$0.80 SYP 97.3

1.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 SYP 225

$0.99 SYP 120

86.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 SYP 490

$3.07 SYP 373

31.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 SYP 134

$0.93 SYP 113

18.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.42 SYP 50.7

$0.38 SYP 46.67

10.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 SYP 192

$1.17 SYP 142

35.04%

Eggs

$1.63 SYP 198

$1.46 SYP 178

11.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.97 SYP 483

$3.95 SYP 481

0.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 SYP 713

$5.01 SYP 608

16.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.94 SYP 1,694

$14.20 SYP 1,726

-1.83%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 SYP 125

$0.87 SYP 106

18.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 SYP 172

$1.12 SYP 137

26.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 SYP 133

$0.73 SYP 89.3

50.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 SYP 124

$0.68 SYP 82.3

50.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 SYP 91.9

$0.69 SYP 83.4

10.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 SYP 92.5

$0.80 SYP 97.0

-5.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 SYP 52.5

$0.43 SYP 52.7

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SYP 75.5

$0.66 SYP 80.7

-6.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.76 SYP 335

$2.71 SYP 329

1.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.03 SYP 732

$3.98 SYP 484

51.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 SYP 134

$1.29 SYP 156

-13.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 SYP 345

$2.33 SYP 283

21.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 SYP 25.45

$0.08 SYP 9.56

162.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$10.19 SYP 1,238

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 SYP 124

$0.97 SYP 118

5.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 SYP 190

$0.59 SYP 71.2

164.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.81 SYP 949

$5.05 SYP 613

54.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.71 SYP 451

$1.05 SYP 128

253.33%

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

$14.8K SYP 1.8M

-0.20%

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

$19.3K SYP 2.3M

$19.1K SYP 2.3M

1.10%

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

$138 SYP 16.7K

$67.4 SYP 8,190

104.44%

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

$9.68 SYP 1,176

$7.38 SYP 897

31.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.92 SYP 5,702

$33.47 SYP 4,068

40.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.77 SYP 3,374

$13.77 SYP 1,674

101.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.30 SYP 1,009

$9.79 SYP 1,190

-15.22%

Cinema Ticket

$5.57 SYP 677

$1.17 SYP 143

376.07%

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

$67.0 SYP 8,142

$40.53 SYP 4,925

65.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,751 SYP 212.8K

$1,493 SYP 181.5K

17.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.12 SYP 3,417

$25.88 SYP 3,145

8.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.32 SYP 4,900

$19.18 SYP 2,331

110.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.6 SYP 7,367

$41.90 SYP 5,091

44.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.9 SYP 7,036

$39.84 SYP 4,842

45.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$513 SYP 62.4K

$89.1 SYP 10.8K

476.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 SYP 22.4K

$52.2 SYP 6,339

252.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$858 SYP 104.2K

$245 SYP 29.8K

250.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 SYP 56.2K

$127 SYP 15.4K

263.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,744 SYP 212.0K

$705 SYP 85.7K

147.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$616 SYP 74.9K

$250 SYP 30.4K

146.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$80.1 SYP 9,728

$58.5 SYP 7,108

36.86%

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 19, 2026

Last update for Latakia: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Damascus

$194 22.4%

Latakia

$108 22.7% 44.3% $86

Accommodation & Living

Damascus

$184 21.2%

Latakia

$52 10.9% 71.6% $132

Eating Out

Damascus

$176 20.2%

Latakia

$87 18.2% 50.4% $88

Groceries & Markets

Damascus

$170 19.7%

Latakia

$153 32% 10.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Damascus

$84 9.7%

Latakia

$57 11.9% 32.2% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Damascus

$39 4.5%

Latakia

$16 3.4% 58.6% $23

Getting Around

Damascus

$20 2.3%

Latakia

$4.2 * 0.9% 78.7% $16

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 $513 in Damascus and $89.1 in Latakia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Damascus pays 37% 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: $42.00 in Damascus vs $30.00 in Latakia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $170 vs $153 per month, with Latakia cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Damascus

🇸🇾 Latakia

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

Same time as Damascus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,414,913 Capital

383,786

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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 Latakia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Damascus and Latakia differ by about 81% in total monthly costs ($867 vs $478 including rent). Latakia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 37% 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: $513 in Damascus versus $89.1 in Latakia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $67.0 in Damascus versus $40.53 in Latakia. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Latakia – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $42.00 in Damascus. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $478 in Latakia versus $867 in Damascus, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Latakia but tight or insufficient in Damascus. The gap between the two cities makes Latakia 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 Latakia gentler on the wallet – expenses run 81% less than in Damascus. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.