Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Hamra

For one person, living is cheaper in Hamra: $979 a month against $4,048 in London, rent and utilities included – about $36,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

London, United Kingdom
Hamra, Lebanon
London
🇬🇧 United Kingdom
$4,048
/mo nomad
Hamra
🇱🇧 Lebanon
$979
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in London and in Hamra

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $4,048 in London versus $979 in Hamra.

  • London $4,048
  • Hamra $979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,903 in London versus $1,584 in Hamra.

  • London $5,903
  • Hamra $1,584

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,758 in London versus $2,189 in Hamra.

  • London $7,758
  • Hamra $2,189

Living in London is roughly 314% more expensive than in Hamra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

The two cities straddle the global median: London is 199% above, Hamra is 28% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
London
Hamra
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$26.36 £19.59
$12.03 LBP 1.1M
119.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$109 £80.7
$69.9 LBP 6.3M
55.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.71 £7.96
$9.98 LBP 893.0K
7.31%
Cappuccino
$5.59 £4.15
$4.48 LBP 401.1K
24.78%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.00 £2.23
$2.39 LBP 214.1K
25.52%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 £1.65
$0.84 LBP 75.0K
164.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$9.65 £7.17
$4.90 LBP 438.1K
96.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$8.26 £6.14
$4.87 LBP 436.2K
69.61%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
London
Hamra
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.97 £1.46
$1.98 LBP 176.9K
-0.51%
White Bread (500g)
$2.09 £1.55
$0.92 LBP 82.6K
127.17%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.59 £1.93
$2.23 LBP 199.3K
16.14%
Eggs
$5.37 £3.99
$3.62 LBP 323.8K
48.34%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.12 £9.75
$11.26 LBP 1.0M
16.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.03 £8.20
$10.45 LBP 935.1K
5.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$17.73 £13.18
$14.83 LBP 1.3M
19.55%
Apples (1kg)
$3.17 £2.36
$3.11 LBP 278.3K
1.93%
Banana (1kg)
$1.38 £1.03
$1.66 LBP 148.2K
-16.87%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.82 £2.10
$1.63 LBP 145.7K
73.01%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.36 £2.50
$1.54 LBP 137.9K
118.18%
Potato (1kg)
$1.70 £1.26
$1.26 LBP 113.1K
34.92%
Onion (1kg)
$1.78 £1.32
$1.55 LBP 139.1K
14.84%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.49 £1.11
$1.22 LBP 109.2K
22.13%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 £1.35
$0.72 LBP 64.3K
152.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$23.85 £17.73
$2.96 LBP 264.6K
705.74%
Wine (Bottle)
$13.44 £9.99
$10.80 LBP 967.0K
24.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$3.11 £2.31
$1.32 LBP 118.1K
135.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.49 £3.34
$2.47 LBP 220.7K
81.78%
🚌 Getting Around
London
Hamra
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.13 £3.07
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$266 £198
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.98 £4.45
$4.99 LBP 446.3K
19.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$3.39 £2.52
$2.29 LBP 204.5K
48.03%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$56.6 £42.03
$22.59 LBP 2.0M
150.33%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.21 £1.64
$1.09 LBP 97.4K
102.75%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.3K £28.4K
$52.6K LBP 4.7B
-27.23%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$41.0K £30.5K
$32.9K LBP 2.9B
24.78%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
Hamra
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$372 £277
$210 LBP 18.8M
77.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.66 £13.87
$23.48 LBP 2.1M
-20.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.53 £30.13
$38.34 LBP 3.4M
5.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
London
Hamra
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$56.0 £41.63
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.10 £12.71
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$17.95 £13.34
$9.96 LBP 891.0K
80.22%
🧸 Childcare & Education
London
Hamra
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$2,946 £2,189
$686 LBP 61.4M
329.34%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$47.6K £35.4K
$10.6K LBP 949.0M
349.13%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
London
Hamra
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$116 £86.4
$68.4 LBP 6.1M
69.94%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$56.9 £42.29
$48.64 LBP 4.4M
16.98%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$128 £95.1
$136 LBP 12.2M
-6.24%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$154 £114
$118 LBP 10.6M
29.96%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
London
Hamra
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,935 £2,182
-
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,258 £1,678
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$5,250 £3,902
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$3,859 £2,868
-
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$17.2K £12.8K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,278 £6,153
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
London
Hamra
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$5,621 £4,177
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.78
11
-56.55%

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

Last update for London: November 1, 2026

Last update for Hamra: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
London
$2.3K
Hamra
- * 100%
Monthly Utilities & Internet
London
$432
Hamra
$272 37% $160
Eating Out
London
$396
Hamra
$227 42.6% $169
Groceries & Markets
London
$360
Hamra
$276 23.4% $84
Getting Around
London
$305
Hamra
$16 * 94.6% $289
Clothing & Footwear
London
$205
Hamra
$167 18.3% $37
Sport & Entertainment
London
$92
Hamra
$20 * 78.3% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $109 in London vs $70 in Hamra for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $360 vs $276 per month, with Hamra cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇬🇧 London
🇱🇧 Hamra
🕒 Local time
04:40 4:40 AM
06:40 6:40 AM
2 h ahead of London
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
8,908,083 Capital
1,251,739
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

LBP, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

British Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.743 GBP (1 GBP = 1.35 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Lebanese Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 89,500 LBP (100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD). 1 EUR = 100,472 LBP (1,000,000 LBP = 9.95 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • London Hamra 3,460 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight
From you
  • London
  • Hamra

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
London vs Hamra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in London and in Hamra?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $4,048 in London and $979 in Hamra, so Hamra is about 76% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
What salary covers living expenses in London compared to Hamra?
You’d need roughly $6,072 in London and $1,468 in Hamra 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.
What is the difference in childcare costs between London and Hamra?
Childcare runs $2,946 in London versus $686 in Hamra. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
Dining out is cheaper in Hamra – a meal for two runs $70 versus $109 in London. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Which city is more doable on $1,200 per month?
At $979 in Hamra versus $4,048 in London, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Hamra but tight or insufficient in London. The gap between the two cities makes Hamra the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
How does quality of life compare between London and Hamra?
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.

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