Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Damascus and Mogadishu

For one person, living is cheaper in Mogadishu: $610 a month against $869 in Damascus, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Damascus
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Damascus Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Mogadishu
Learn more

Mogadishu Living Index

Jump to prices

Damascus

🇸🇾 Syria

$869

/mo nomad

Mogadishu

🇸🇴 Somalia

$610

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Damascus and in Mogadishu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $869 in Damascus versus $610 in Mogadishu.

Damascus $869
Mogadishu $610

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,412 in Damascus versus $940 in Mogadishu.

Damascus $1,412
Mogadishu $940

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,954 in Damascus versus $1,270 in Mogadishu.

Damascus $1,954
Mogadishu $1,270

Living in Damascus is roughly 43% more expensive than in Mogadishu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Damascus 36% lower, Mogadishu 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 SYP 1,238

$2.93 SOS 1,664

247.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.87 SYP 5,209

$34.88 SOS 19.8K

22.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 SYP 835

$4.46 SOS 2,532

54.04%

Cappuccino

$3.75 SYP 455

$1.97 SOS 1,121

90.36%

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

$2.21 SYP 269

$1.15 SOS 652

92.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 SYP 108

$0.50 SOS 282

78.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 SYP 249

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.03 SYP 489

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 SYP 128

$1.26 SOS 717

-15.87%

White Bread (500g)

$0.41 SYP 50.1

$1.65 SOS 935

-75.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 SYP 184

$0.76 SOS 431

100.00%

Eggs

$1.62 SYP 197

$1.87 SOS 1,061

-13.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.96 SYP 482

$5.02 SOS 2,852

-21.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.60 SYP 680

$3.98 SOS 2,259

40.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.69 SYP 1,664

$4.52 SOS 2,566

202.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.06 SYP 129

$3.80 SOS 2,160

-72.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 SYP 166

$1.03 SOS 583

33.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 SYP 139

$3.04 SOS 1,730

-62.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.05 SYP 128

$1.25 SOS 711

-16.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 SYP 96.2

$1.46 SOS 831

-45.89%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 SYP 96.5

$1.71 SOS 970

-53.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 SYP 49.16

$1.48 SOS 842

-72.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SYP 75.2

$0.54 SOS 305

14.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.81 SYP 342

Wine (Bottle)

$6.09 SYP 740

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 SYP 128

$1.97 SOS 1,118

-46.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 SYP 345

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.23 SYP 28.02

$0.48 SOS 275

-52.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.85 SYP 1,198

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 SYP 124

$0.99 SOS 562

3.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.48 SYP 179

$0.53 SOS 302

179.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 SYP 938

$3.03 SOS 1,720

154.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.70 SYP 450

$0.85 SOS 480

335.29%

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

$14.8K SYP 1.8M

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

$19.5K SYP 2.4M

$6,440 SOS 3.7M

202.88%

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

$138 SYP 16.8K

$158 SOS 89.7K

-12.42%

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

$9.86 SYP 1,198

$5.13 SOS 2,913

92.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.41 SYP 5,518

$65.7 SOS 37.3K

-30.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.67 SYP 3,363

$32.16 SOS 18.3K

-13.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.68 SYP 1,055

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 SYP 675

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

$66.4 SYP 8,068

$79.2 SOS 45.0K

-16.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,758 SYP 213.6K

$775 SOS 440.3K

126.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.98 SYP 3,522

$14.05 SOS 7,982

106.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.38 SYP 4,907

$13.92 SOS 7,907

190.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.4 SYP 7,215

$25.37 SOS 14.4K

134.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.2 SYP 7,197

$31.90 SOS 18.1K

85.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$525 SYP 63.8K

$194 SOS 110.2K

170.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$188 SYP 22.8K

$76.4 SOS 43.4K

145.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$834 SYP 101.3K

$477 SOS 270.9K

74.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 SYP 57.3K

$186 SOS 105.4K

153.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,700 SYP 206.6K

$3,219 SOS 1.8M

-47.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$607 SYP 73.8K

$2,421 SOS 1.4M

-74.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$72.9 SYP 8,855

$271 SOS 154.0K

-73.13%

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 11, 2026

Last update for Mogadishu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Damascus

$194 22.3%

Mogadishu

$229 37.5% 18.1% $35

Accommodation & Living

Damascus

$188 21.6%

Mogadishu

$76 12.5% 59.3% $111

Eating Out

Damascus

$178 20.5%

Mogadishu

$67 * 11% 62.3% $111

Groceries & Markets

Damascus

$168 19.3%

Mogadishu

$162 * 26.5% 3.5% $5.9

Clothing & Footwear

Damascus

$85 9.7%

Mogadishu

$38 6.3% 54.6% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Damascus

$39 4.5%

Mogadishu

$32 * 5.3% 17.1% $6.6

Getting Around

Damascus

$19 2.2%

Mogadishu

$5.6 * 0.9% 70.9% $14

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 $525 in Damascus and $194 in Mogadishu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mogadishu pays 272% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $43.00 in Damascus vs $35.00 in Mogadishu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $168 vs $162 per month, with Mogadishu cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Damascus

🇸🇴 Mogadishu

🕒 Local time

14:47 2:47 PM

Same time as Damascus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,414,913 Capital

2,610,000 Capital

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SOS, USD, EUR to SYP – Syrian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇾 Syrian Pound (£)

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 639 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.57 EUR).

USD to SYP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Damascus Mogadishu 3,620 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Damascus
Mogadishu

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 Mogadishu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Damascus and Mogadishu differ by about 43% in total monthly costs ($869 vs $610 including rent). Mogadishu is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 272% lower in Mogadishu. 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: $525 in Damascus versus $194 in Mogadishu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $66.4 in Damascus versus $79.2 in Mogadishu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mogadishu – a meal for two runs $35.00 versus $43.00 in Damascus. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $610 in Mogadishu versus $869 in Damascus, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Mogadishu but tight or insufficient in Damascus. The gap between the two cities makes Mogadishu 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 Mogadishu gentler on the wallet – expenses run 43% less than in Damascus. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.