1/5
136 reviews
Photo by Piotr Chrobot via Unsplash

Beirut

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effort

worth

cash

hours

internet

lbp

restaurants

heaps

culture

art

thrive

bars

liberal

attitude

Beirut offers a unique mix of rich history, art, and nightlife, with a liberal attitude uncommon in the region. The city is filled with rooftops and bars like SKYBAR and B 018, making for memorable nights out. There’s a strong creative and cultural presence, with plenty of street art and a resilient, hospitable local population. For digital nomads or travelers, the mobile internet (4G) is fast and local SIMs are affordable if bought in the city, not the airport. The airport is conveniently close to the center, with low taxi fares if paying in local currency.

However, Lebanon is in the midst of a significant financial and infrastructure crisis. Visitors need to be prepared to carry large amounts of local currency, as credit cards are rarely accepted. Electricity is inconsistent and mostly powered by generators, with downtime daily. Payment apps like Uber work, but payment must be made in cash, and fares are often higher than shown due to exchange rate discrepancies. Despite these challenges, Beirut remains a captivating destination for those willing to make the effort. It’s best to plan practically around the current economic issues.

AI-generated summary of reviews

A city in the grip of a financial crisis (Feb 2023), plus other calamities, so requires a bit more effort to do stuff than many places. But IMO worth the effort. You have to carry cash around and lots of bills as worth 1/40th of what they were a few years ago. You can't really use cards anywhere, except dollar ATMs and some supermarkets.
Electricity mostly from generators, which have downtime a few hours a day. You need to check the daily hours of supply for the building before booking a place.
4G internet good 30+Mbps. Wired internet variable. Local SIM, I got a Touch Lebanon one with 20GB data for about $25/month. Pricier if you buy at the airport.
Airport close to city centre. $10-15 taxi fare.
Uber and Bolt work but you must assign payment as cash and it will be more than the app says, because of the high downward volatility of the LBP currency. Some classier cafes or restaurants will take USD notes but mostly you need LBP.
Heaps of culture and history. Heaps of street art. A heartful people who have suffered insanely but still keep going, shows you the power of the human spirit to survive and thrive.
I like the place and will be back in summer.

2 years ago

Beirut is a place where ideas are formed, and where art, culture, cuisine and an ardour for life thrive. Bars, restaurants and clubs come and go more frequently than the snow on the mountain peaks that form a backdrop to the city. But finding the new places - only to later realise they have vanished - is what makes for singular, memorable nights on these warm shores of the Mediterranean. Unlike in many other capitals in the region, there is a liberal attitude towards drinking in Beirut, where you will find a wide selection of cocktails and beers. The new tower blocks built after the civil war ended in 1990 have provided no end of rooftop bars - one of the first and biggest is SKYBAR- but it divides opinions thanks to its strict door policies and high prices. Alternatively try B 018, a nightclub with a retractable roof opening onto the stars, and known for its liberal attitude and dance music.

7 years ago

✅ Liberal nightlife

✅ Rich culture and history

✅ Friendly and resilient people

✅ Good 4G internet

✅ Airport close to city

✅ Affordable to live

✅ Pretty safe

✅ Lots of fun stuff to do

✅ Warm in the spring

✅ Good air quality on average

✅ Nomads.com members liked going here

✅ Many Nomads.com members have been

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ Good hospitals

✅ Freedom of speech

✅ People can speak basic English

✅ Safe for women

✅ LGBTQ+ friendly

❌ Severe financial crisis

❌ Limited credit card use

❌ Unreliable electricity

❌ Volatile currency

❌ Not very democratic

❌ Very slow internet

❌ Gets cold in the winter

❌ Not many Nomads.com members right now

❌ Difficult to do business

❌ Quality of education is low

❌ Roads can be dangerous

❌ Not family friendly

❌ People smoking tobacco a lot

❌ Marijuana is illegal

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels

59 15°
cool

54 12°
cool

61 16°
cool

66 19°
mild

73 23°
mild

77 25°
warm

81 27°
warm

79 26°
warm

75 24°
warm

70 21°
mild

61 16°
cool

Real

58 15°
cool

54 12°
cool

60 16°
cool

65 19°
mild

73 23°
mild

77 25°
warm

82 28°
very warm

80 27°
warm

75 24°
warm

70 21°
mild

61 16°
cool

Humidity

too dry
27%

nice
31%

nice
32%

nice
34%

nice
35%

nice
33%

nice
31%

too dry
27%

too dry
29%

Most common

Rain

rainy
149mm

rainy
98mm

rainy
112mm

rainy
52mm

dry
1mm

dry
0mm

dry
8mm

dry
9mm

dry
38mm

rainy
137mm

Cloud

pockets
29%

pockets
17%

pockets
25%

pockets
16%

clear
9%

clear
7%

clear
6%

clear
8%

pockets
12%

pockets
25%

pockets
34%

Air quality

okay
72 US AQI

okay
66 US AQI

okay
61 US AQI

okay
63 US AQI

okay
67 US AQI

okay
60 US AQI

okay
61 US AQI

okay
63 US AQI

okay
62 US AQI

okay
54 US AQI

Sun

seek shade
3 UVI

seek shade
4 UVI

seek shade
5 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
10 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

seek shade
5 UVI

seek shade
3 UVI

safe
2 UVI

Remote workers

286 people

200 people

367 people

275 people

340 people

333 people

440 people

364 people

425 people

311 people

425 people

371 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Not all nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

Based on Beirut's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:

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Help pick the best photos for Beirut and improve this page's look by tappingclicking on them and the site saves your feedback Vote photos

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169pts

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$7,134 / mo

🌇 Also went here44 people

Members who will be here soon

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Not all nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

⭐️ Total score	0.5/5 (Rank #1335) 136 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍5 liked it 👎1 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Bad
👶 Family score	Bad
🎒 Community score	Okay
💵 Cost	😙 Affordable: $1,115 / mo
📡 Internet	🤬 Unusably slow: 2Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Great
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🌞 Nice: 19°C65°F (feels 19°C66°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	😊 Comfy: 72%
💨 Air quality (annual)	🌱 Good: 61 US AQI
👌 Safety	🧨 Conflict / political instability*
🤮 Food safety*	Good
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	🧨 Conflict / political instability*
🎓 Education level*	Mediocre
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Okay
💰 Income level*	Very low: $700 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Okay
😤 People density	🧘‍♀️ Sprawling: 3k ppl/km² (1 per 19x19m)
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Bad
✈️ Airline scores*	Good
🧳 Lost luggage*	Great
🏥 Hospitals	Okay
😄 Happiness*	Okay
🍸 Nightlife	Great
📶 Free WiFi in city	Bad
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Great
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Good
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Good
👩 Female friendly	Okay
🌈 LGBTQ+ friendly	Okay
🎅 Startup Score	Okay

🌍 Continent	Middle East
🚩 Country	Lebanon
🗓️ Average trip length	10 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	2 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌦 19°C 65°F + 😊 Comfy (72%) = feels 19°C 66°F
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👎😷 61 US AQI
🔌 Power	230V 50Hz
🚕 Best taxi app*	Uber
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 100,000 LBP in USD	USD 1.12
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	LBP 10,000,000 = USD 112
💸 Tipping	Yes, 10%
💻 Best coworking space	Coworking +961
💻 Best alt. coworking space	AltCity
🚰 Tap water	🚫 No, not drinkable
♻️ Return rate	👍11% of visitors return
📸 Visitors per year	1,160,000 visitors
📸 Tourists now	22,231 tourists
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	470,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$8,400 / year
😤 Population density	🧘‍♀️ empty: 19x19m (361m²) per person
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 51% 👱‍♀️ 49%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 52% 👱‍♀️ 48%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 77% 👱‍♀️ 23%
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed	Yes
⛪️ Religious government	Religious
🏠 Apartment listings	Beirut Flats
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	MEA
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Turkish

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$1,115 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$370 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$50 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$14 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$2,099 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$1,425 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$407 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$98 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$47 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	0 / month
🍛 Dinner	$0
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$0
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$0
☕️ Coffee in cafe	0
👩‍🏫 International school	$0.00 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	0 / month
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	0 / trip