Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tartus and Damascus

For one person, living is cheaper in Tartus: $635 a month against $866 in Damascus, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Tartus, Syria
Damascus, Syria
Tartus
🇸🇾 Syria
$635
/mo nomad
Damascus
🇸🇾 Syria
$866
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Tartus and in Damascus

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $635 in Tartus versus $866 in Damascus.

  • Tartus $635
  • Damascus $866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $988 in Tartus versus $1,404 in Damascus.

  • Tartus $988
  • Damascus $1,404

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,340 in Tartus versus $1,943 in Damascus.

  • Tartus $1,340
  • Damascus $1,943

Living in Tartus costs roughly 27% less than in Damascus, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Tartus 53% lower, Damascus 36% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tartus
Damascus
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.13 SYP 1,232
$10.11 SYP 1,229
0.20%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$41.75 SYP 5,074
$43.10 SYP 5,239
-3.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.80 SYP 827
$7.21 SYP 876
-5.69%
Cappuccino
$3.79 SYP 461
$3.67 SYP 446
3.27%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.22 SYP 270
$2.28 SYP 277
-2.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.83 SYP 101
$0.89 SYP 108
-6.74%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.94 SYP 236
$1.92 SYP 233
1.04%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.09 SYP 497
$3.99 SYP 484
2.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tartus
Damascus
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.44 SYP 53.9
$1.04 SYP 127
-57.69%
White Bread (500g)
$0.44 SYP 53.9
$0.41 SYP 50.4
7.32%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 SYP 90.3
$1.63 SYP 198
-54.60%
Eggs
$0.81 SYP 98.8
$1.58 SYP 193
-48.73%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.95 SYP 480
$3.82 SYP 464
3.40%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.05 SYP 370
$5.80 SYP 705
-47.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.97 SYP 1,699
$13.83 SYP 1,681
1.01%
Apples (1kg)
$1.04 SYP 126
$1.03 SYP 126
0.97%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 SYP 166
$1.42 SYP 172
-3.52%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.15 SYP 140
$1.11 SYP 135
3.60%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.22 SYP 26.67
$1.02 SYP 124
-78.43%
Potato (1kg)
$0.22 SYP 26.74
$0.79 SYP 96.5
-72.15%
Onion (1kg)
$0.29 SYP 35.84
$0.77 SYP 93.1
-62.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.43 SYP 52.7
$0.43 SYP 52.7
-
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 SYP 74.7
$0.63 SYP 76.0
-3.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.65 SYP 322
$2.79 SYP 340
-5.02%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.93 SYP 599
$5.14 SYP 625
-4.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.15 SYP 140
$1.09 SYP 132
5.50%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 SYP 347
$2.81 SYP 341
1.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Tartus
Damascus
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.33 SYP 39.55
$0.21 SYP 25.47
57.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$7.81 SYP 949
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.01 SYP 123
$0.98 SYP 119
3.06%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.49 SYP 182
$1.49 SYP 181
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.85 SYP 954
$7.89 SYP 959
-0.51%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$3.67 SYP 446
$3.77 SYP 459
-2.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$15.1K SYP 1.8M
$15.1K SYP 1.8M
0.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K SYP 2.3M
$19.5K SYP 2.4M
-1.83%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tartus
Damascus
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$139 SYP 17.0K
$139 SYP 16.9K
0.48%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.52 SYP 1,157
$9.53 SYP 1,159
-0.10%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.33 SYP 2,471
$47.09 SYP 5,724
-56.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tartus
Damascus
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$5.64 SYP 685
$28.02 SYP 3,405
-79.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$6.80 SYP 826
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.47 SYP 665
$5.38 SYP 654
1.67%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tartus
Damascus
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$9.54 SYP 1,160
$65.4 SYP 7,953
-85.42%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,756 SYP 213.4K
$1,773 SYP 215.5K
-0.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tartus
Damascus
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$11.34 SYP 1,378
$28.78 SYP 3,499
-60.60%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$40.40 SYP 4,911
$39.30 SYP 4,777
2.80%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$46.48 SYP 5,650
$60.9 SYP 7,406
-23.72%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$15.39 SYP 1,871
$59.0 SYP 7,171
-73.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tartus
Damascus
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$117 SYP 14.2K
$514 SYP 62.5K
-77.27%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$76.7 SYP 9,322
$186 SYP 22.6K
-58.75%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$232 SYP 28.2K
$864 SYP 105.0K
-73.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$113 SYP 13.8K
$466 SYP 56.6K
-75.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$1,725 SYP 209.6K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$599 SYP 72.8K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tartus
Damascus
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$49.39 SYP 6,004
$78.6 SYP 9,557
-37.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
14.25
14.25
-

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

Last update for Tartus: October 31, 2026

Last update for Damascus: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Eating Out
Tartus
$177
Damascus
$177 0.1% $0.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tartus
$169
Damascus
$195 15.4% $26
Groceries & Markets
Tartus
$135
Damascus
$167 23.8% $32
Accommodation & Living
Tartus
$77
Damascus
$186 142% $109
Clothing & Footwear
Tartus
$51
Damascus
$85 65.5% $33
Sport & Entertainment
Tartus
$17
Damascus
$39 134% $22
Getting Around
Tartus
$9.8 *
Damascus
$17 74.6% $7.3

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 $117 in Tartus and $514 in Damascus. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Damascus pays 59% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $42 in Tartus vs $43 in Damascus for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $135 vs $167 per month, with Tartus cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇸🇾 Tartus
🇸🇾 Damascus
🕒 Local time
13:38 1:38 PM
13:38 1:38 PM
Same time as Tartus
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
115,769
1,414,913 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to SYP – Syrian Pound Converter

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 136 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.34 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tartus Damascus 160 km
From you
  • Tartus
  • Damascus

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
Tartus vs Damascus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Tartus and in Damascus?
Total monthly costs including rent come to $635 in Tartus and $866 in Damascus, so Tartus is about 27% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city has better-paying jobs?
On paper, salaries run 37% lower in Tartus. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How do apartment prices compare in Tartus and in Damascus?
Rent for a central apartment: $117 in Tartus versus $514 in Damascus. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Tartus and Damascus?
Childcare runs $9.54 in Tartus versus $65 in Damascus. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more expensive overall: Tartus or Damascus?
All in, you’ll spend $635 per month in Tartus versus $866 in Damascus – Tartus is about 27% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How far does $1,000 go in Tartus compared to Damascus?
Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Tartus gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.
How does quality of life compare between Tartus and Damascus?
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.
How do I decide between Tartus and Damascus?
It comes down to priorities – Tartus wins on affordability, Damascus on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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