Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zahlah and Beirut

For one person, living is cheaper in Zahlah: $985 a month against $1,657 in Beirut, rent and utilities included – about $8,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Zahlah
Learn more

Zahlah Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in Beirut
Learn more

Beirut Living Index

Jump to prices

Zahlah

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$985

/mo nomad

Beirut

🇱🇧 Lebanon

$1,657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Zahlah and in Beirut

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $985 in Zahlah versus $1,657 in Beirut.

Zahlah $985
Beirut $1,657

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,588 in Zahlah versus $2,643 in Beirut.

Zahlah $1,588
Beirut $2,643

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,191 in Zahlah versus $3,628 in Beirut.

Zahlah $2,191
Beirut $3,628

Living in Zahlah costs roughly 41% less than in Beirut, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

The two cities straddle the global median: Zahlah is 28% below, Beirut is 22% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.19 LBP 1.1M

$12.13 LBP 1.1M

0.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 LBP 6.2M

$68.2 LBP 6.1M

1.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.95 LBP 890.4K

$9.86 LBP 882.6K

0.91%

Cappuccino

$4.45 LBP 398.4K

$4.46 LBP 399.2K

-0.22%

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

$2.29 LBP 204.9K

$2.34 LBP 209.6K

-2.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 LBP 80.0K

$0.90 LBP 80.9K

-1.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.13 LBP 459.4K

$5.10 LBP 456.3K

0.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.89 LBP 437.3K

$4.89 LBP 437.7K

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 LBP 173.0K

$2.02 LBP 180.5K

-4.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 LBP 80.7K

$0.91 LBP 81.4K

-1.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 LBP 194.5K

$2.20 LBP 196.6K

-1.36%

Eggs

$3.65 LBP 326.5K

$3.61 LBP 323.5K

1.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.13 LBP 996.0K

$10.87 LBP 973.3K

2.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.40 LBP 930.4K

$10.58 LBP 947.2K

-1.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.93 LBP 1.3M

$15.12 LBP 1.4M

-1.26%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 LBP 272.8K

$3.10 LBP 277.0K

-1.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 LBP 152.0K

$1.67 LBP 149.2K

1.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 LBP 144.1K

$1.70 LBP 151.9K

-5.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 LBP 136.9K

$1.54 LBP 137.9K

-0.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 LBP 108.5K

$1.26 LBP 113.1K

-3.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.56 LBP 139.6K

$1.53 LBP 137.3K

1.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 LBP 105.4K

$1.16 LBP 103.9K

1.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 LBP 61.3K

$0.71 LBP 63.8K

-4.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 LBP 271.9K

$2.96 LBP 265.2K

2.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.86 LBP 972.1K

$11.04 LBP 988.5K

-1.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 LBP 113.9K

$1.32 LBP 118.0K

-3.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 LBP 219.9K

$2.60 LBP 233.0K

-5.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 LBP 136.9K

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.4 LBP 6.7M

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.87 LBP 435.7K

$5.04 LBP 451.2K

-3.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.20 LBP 196.9K

$2.28 LBP 204.0K

-3.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.80 LBP 2.0M

$22.53 LBP 2.0M

1.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.06 LBP 94.5K

$1.04 LBP 93.2K

1.92%

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

$53.3K LBP 4.8B

-0.05%

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

$33.3K LBP 3.0B

0.02%

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

$215 LBP 19.3M

$210 LBP 18.8M

2.67%

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

$23.42 LBP 2.1M

$23.80 LBP 2.1M

-1.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$38.29 LBP 3.4M

$37.87 LBP 3.4M

1.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$95.9 LBP 8.6M

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$33.37 LBP 3.0M

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 LBP 898.4K

$10.16 LBP 909.0K

-1.18%

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

$691 LBP 61.8M

$677 LBP 60.6M

2.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K LBP 939.0M

$10.5K LBP 940.9M

-0.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.4 LBP 5.9M

-0.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.10 LBP 4.4M

$49.92 LBP 4.5M

-1.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$140 LBP 12.5M

$141 LBP 12.7M

-1.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 LBP 10.7M

$121 LBP 10.8M

-0.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 LBP 84.7M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$495 LBP 44.3M

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,209 LBP 197.7M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 LBP 93.4M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,473 LBP 400.3M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,892 LBP 169.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$710 LBP 63.6M

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

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

Last update for Zahlah: October 27, 2026

Last update for Beirut: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zahlah

$277 28.1%

Beirut

$271 16.4% 2% $5.6

Groceries & Markets

Zahlah

$274 27.8%

Beirut

$277 16.7% 1.2% $3.3

Eating Out

Zahlah

$229 23.3%

Beirut

$228 13.8% 0.3% $0.6

Clothing & Footwear

Zahlah

$169 17.2%

Beirut

$170 10.3% 0.8% $1.4

Sport & Entertainment

Zahlah

$20 * 2%

Beirut

$116 7% 479% $96

Getting Around

Zahlah

$16 * 1.6%

Beirut

$98 5.9% 517% $82

Accommodation & Living

Zahlah

- * 0%

Beirut

$495 29.9%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $69 in Zahlah vs $68 in Beirut. Groceries flip the comparison at $274 vs $277, with Zahlah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇱🇧 Zahlah

🇱🇧 Beirut

🕒 Local time

19:21 7:21 PM

Same time as Zahlah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

78,145

1,916,100 Capital

💱 Currency

Lebanese Pound LBP ل.ل

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

100,000 LBP = 1.12 USD

100,000 LBP = 1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Zahlah Beirut 37 km

From you

Zahlah
Beirut

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

Zahlah vs Beirut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Zahlah is about 41% cheaper overall, especially in leisure and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,477 in Zahlah and $2,485 in Beirut 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.

Childcare runs $691 in Zahlah versus $677 in Beirut. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

All in, you’ll spend $985 per month in Zahlah versus $1,657 in Beirut – Zahlah is about 41% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $985 in Zahlah versus $1,657 in Beirut, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Zahlah but tight or insufficient in Beirut. The gap between the two cities makes Zahlah 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.