How much does it cost to travel to Lebanon?

How expensive is Lebanon? How much does a trip to Lebanon cost? This is a question many people have and a very important aspect of travel planning. Based on the average cost of the common tourists, Lebanon is not too expensive, at least a lot cheaper than it was a few years ago. This is mainly due to its rising domestic inflation and a sharp fall in the exchange rate, which is not good for its citizens, but it is indeed a good time for tourists to pick up bargains.

We’ve collected a lot of data on spending by the real travelers to Lebanon. The most frugal tourists spend an average of about USD 100 a day. Average budget to mid-range visitors spend USD 120 to 150 a day. Visitors in past years have spent an average of USD 33 on meals and USD 21 on local transportation for one day. The average cost for a couple to stay at a hotel is USD 108 a night.

► A thing you should pay special attention to: The Lebanese pound has hit a record low against the dollar, and the exchange rate fluctuates a lot. Although US dollars are accepted locally, you are advised to exchange enough Lebanese pounds for a better deal.

Currency of Lebanon: Lebanese Pound (LBP)

The official currency of Lebanon is the Lebanese pound, also known as lira, abbreviated LBP or L. L. There is a dual currency system, with US dollars circulating in addition to the Lebanese pound.

Symbol: £L, L.L. or ل.ل.
1 pound (£L)= /100 piastres (p)
Banknotes: £L1,000, £L5,000, £L10,000, £L20,000, £L50,000, £L100,000
Coins: £L250, £L500

Lebanese Pound Exchange Rate & Price Confusion

USD 1 ≈ LBP 1,523
EUR 1 ≈ LBP 1,591
GBP 1 ≈ LBP 1,847
CAD 1 ≈ LBP 1,181
AUD 1 ≈ LBP 1,082

► The above exchange rate, which you can usually find online, is a reference to the official exchange rate from July 2022. However, the Lebanese pound itself is so unstable that its actual exchange rate can vary widely from the official value.

Astonishing Exchange Rate

Since 1997, Lebanon has implemented a fixed exchange rate policy of pegging the Lebanese pound to the US dollar. The official exchange rate has been maintained at USD 1 = LBP 1,500. However, since the banking crisis in September 2019, the black market exchange rate of the Lebanese pound against the US dollar has continued to depreciate. Lebanon has experienced hyperinflation. In 2020 and 2021, the exchange rate fell by more than 95% due to the political and economic crisis, COVID-19, the big explosion in Beirut and other factors. This led the banks to establish a kind of unofficial capital controls, basically freezing accounts. They use the ‘bank rate’ of USD 1 = LBP 8,000 to release a limited amount of dollars.

Entering 2022, the economic situation of Lebanon has improved, and the black market exchange rate of the Lebanese pound against the US dollar has stabilized at around USD 1 = LBP 25,000. The fall in the value of the Lebanese pound accelerated as the results of the parliamentary elections on May 15th 2022, which heightened uncertainty about Lebanon's political future. On May 24th Lebanon’s black market exchange rate for the Lebanese pound fell below USD 1 = LBP 34,000, a record low. The Lebanese pound has lost more than 90% of its value.

Price Confusion Caused by Exchange Rate

Seeing the change in the value of the Lebanese pound described above, you can understand why it’s cheaper to travel to Lebanon now. In fact, Lebanon was one of the most expensive parts of the Middle East before 2020, but in recent years, various crisis-induced currency devaluations have changed all that. Once you arrive in Lebanon, you’ll be amazed at the goods priced in tens of thousands pounds. You must wonder how prices can be so high in a seemingly broken country.

A closer look reveals that the local government’s announcement of official exchange rate of USD 1 = LBP 1,500 has become a dead letter. The Lebanese black market traders are now buying the US dollar for between 26, 000 and 30, 000 pounds. The difference compared with the official rate is staggering.

On the one hand, this has led to skyrocketing prices in Lebanon. The prices of vegetables and food can double in just two days, and the cost of living is astronomically high. If you have cash in dollars, your basic life will not be affected. The problem is that not most households have dollars. According to the local media, more than half the families in Lebanon are in dire straits.

On the other hand, most of the tourists from other countries are holding dollars or other currencies, so the depreciation of the Lebanese pound has reduced the cost of tourism for the time being. For example, if you choose a decent restaurant for a meal with an appetizer, main courses, meat, salad, and beer, you’ll spend about LBP 1,000,000 for two people. The bill the waiter shows you has prices in Lebanese pounds and US dollars. The price in Lebanese pounds is set by the restaurant and the dollar price is automatically generated at the government rate of 1500:1, so this bill has a price of 666.67 dollars. You might be surprised to see this, but don't worry. You can pay directly in Lebanese pounds. Anyway, the Lebanese people are very simple and friendly, and even if you pay in dollars, you won’t be cheated. The waiter will settle at the black market rate, which is around USD 38.5.

Special Notes on Changing Money

The value of the Lebanese pound in the black market has dropped to USD 1 = LBP 34,000, a sign that the economic crisis will continue to weaken the country. The rate is unofficial, but it is the main one used throughout the country. This means you need to plan out where to change money, which has a huge impact on your travel costs.

When you land at the Beirut Airport, you can buy a small amount of Lebanese pounds in US dollars at the airport for emergency use. Don’t overdo it, as the airport exchange stores may use the official exchange rate, which is very uneconomical. Withdrawing cash from an ATM at the ‘bank rate’ won't maximize your benefits either. It is recommended that you bring US dollars in cash into Lebanon. In Beirut, you can exchange Lebanese pounds on the black market.

The black market, not as scary as its name suggests, is easy to find. A high street shop with the words Exchange, Cash or Money can be interpreted as a black market. The black market is not black, with fair trade at fair price. Brightly lit, bustling and open to outsiders, these exchanges look nothing like a traditional black market. In other words, all the currency exchange shops in Lebanon, except the banks, form its black market.

Counting money is no easy task when exchanging for Lebanese pounds. When you pay the shopkeeper in US dollars, the shopkeeper will bring out a big bag of money, like a wholesaler. He would open the plastic wrapper and start counting the money. There are so many brand-new banknotes that you’ll wonder if the country’s currency printing presses are on the verge of bursting. Because of the huge difference in value, you need to be good at math so that you can get a clear account. Count the Lebanese pounds the shopkeeper gives you, and walk away excited like a rich man with millions in your pocket.

Since the exchange rate changes from hour to hour, the amount of pounds you get may vary from city to city.

How to Pay

The Lebanese pound is the official currency, while the US dollars are also widely accepted in the country. You can pay your bills in both the two currencies. If you pay in US dollars, you’ll get change in Lebanese pounds. It is recommended that you exchange your dollars into Lebanese pounds in the black market and then make the payment.

The credit cards are acceptable in almost all stores, but the locals still pay more in cash. It's not a good exchange rate to use a credit card in dollars or other currencies. It is recommended that you bring enough US dollars in cash when you travel and change the local pounds whenever you need.

► Note: Double check your change when buying things. The difference in value between the US dollar and the Lebanese pound is so great that careless tourists often get it wrong.

Lebanon Travel Cost in Detail (estimated for your reference)

1. Food Budget in Lebanon

The food prices vary, but based on past spending habits, visitors spend USD 15 to 20 per person on a dinner at a decent restaurant. The light meals or fast food are cheaper, costing only USD 8 to 10 per person. Breakfast is usually a little cheaper than lunch or dinner. The food served in restaurants often costs more than street food. A bottle of drinking water costs USD 0.9 and a cup of Starbucks coffee costs USD 1.3. For travelers on a moderate budget, daily meals cost USD 30 to 40 per person.

2. Cost of Hotels

In Lebanon, for two people sharing a typical double hotel room, the average price for one night is USD 80 per room, or USD 40 per person. For budget travelers, there are economy hotels under three stars, with standard rooms starting at USD 30 to 40 a night. If you want an upscale hotel with better conditions, you can book it for USD 50 to 80. A double room in a 5-star hotel costs more than USD 120, and some even more than USD 200. You can choose according to your own needs.

3. Entrance Fees of Tourist Attractions

The cost is very low! Before Lebanon’s exchange rate plunged, the attractions were cheaper. Now, you'll feel like all these great museums, archaeological sites, and even World Heritage sites are free. The admission to most attractions costs LBP 5,000 to 10,000. Some are slightly more expensive, such as LBP 15,000 for the Baalbek Temples Complex and LBP 18,315 for the Jeita Grotto. However, according to the current exchange rate, all of them are less than 1 US dollar. As a result, the cost of admission to the attractions and entertainment will not exceed USD 10 per person per day at most.

4. Local Transport

The past travelers have spent on average about USD 20 per person per day on the local transportation. The taxis in Lebanon cost far more than public transport. The long-distance buses between two towns are very cheap, with a one-way ticket costing around LBP 2,000 to 3,000. You can also rent a car for easier travel. The cost of renting a car in Lebanon is similar to the global average. A typical 5-seat car rents for USD 40 to 60 a day, an SUV for USD 140 a day, and a luxury car for more than USD 180. The deposit can range from USD 500 to 3,000, depending on the car type. The gas price in Lebanon is in line with the international price, currently around USD 1.43 a liter.

The main mode of transportation in the city is walking or taking a taxi. Much of downtown Beirut is within walking distance, and you can take a taxi or Uber for further distances. The taxi or Uber fares are relatively high, at around LBP 20,000 Lebanese per kilometer. A taxi costs LBP 60,000 to 100,000 from the Hamra Street downtown to the seaside Pigeon Rocks, while LBP 200,000 to the Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport.

5. Local SIM Card

The cost of using a mobile phone to access the internet in Lebanon is higher than in other regions, but it’s almost a travel necessity, so you need to buy a local SIM card to put on your phone when you arrive at the Beirut Airport. There are two local operators providing the prepaid data SIM cards, Touch and Alfa, which charge similar fees. The Touch SIM card starts at USD 3 and you can add different data packages based on the number of days you travel and your needs: 50 MB for 24 hours costs USD 1, 200 MB for 48 hours costs USD 2, 700 MB for 4 days costs USD 4, and 1 GB for 7 days costs USD 7. There are also one-month cards with data ranging from 500 MB to 100 GB, priced from USD 10 to 109.

6. Tipping

You can prepare some change for tipping. Tips are usually given to restaurant waiters, tour guides, chauffeur, hotel bellmen, and housekeeping staff. A tip is usually 10% of the bill, or USD 1 to 5. You can also tip the taxi driver if you want, but that's of course less expected of you. If their service is above average, you can tell them to keep the change. Most workers are underpaid, and they do appreciate tips. The tickets of the tourist attractions often cost less than USD 1. If you pay with USD 1, the ticket seller would often ask if he can keep the change.

Approximate Budget for One Week Trip to Lebanon

Based on a rough estimate of the costs above, a week-long vacation in Lebanon usually costs about USD 840 for one person and USD 1,680 for two. If you’re traveling as a family of three or four people, the price per person is usually lower because children’s tickets are cheaper and the hotel rooms can be shared.

These average prices were collected from past travelers to help you plan your budget. If you are not good at planning, you can also book our guided tours, which are easier and carefree:
7 Days Beirut - Deir Al-Qamar - Sidon - Tyre - Beirut - Baalbek - Anjar - Harissa - Byblos - Beirut
5 Days Beirut - Jeita - Byblos - Anjar - Baalbek - Sidon - Tyre – Beirut