Beirut vs Sidon
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Beirut edges it, 50 to 48, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Beirut is stronger on climate; Sidon on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Resilient Mediterranean city with legendary food
Full Beirut profile →Plan a trip to Beirut →Crusader sea castle and old souks, 40 km south of Beirut
Full Sidon profile →Plan a trip to Sidon →Where they differ
- Climate. Beirut leads on climate, 67 to 50, against Sidon. Comfortable months: 8 vs 6.
- Internet. Beirut leads on internet, 29 to 19, against Sidon. Measured download: 3.8 Mbps vs 1.9 Mbps.
- Air quality. Sidon leads on air quality, 75 to 69, against Beirut. PM2.5: 19 µg/m³ vs 16.1 µg/m³.
Where they are close. Within five points on safety, healthcare, visa ease, getting there & around, quality of life.
Pick Beirut if you want
- faster internet (3.8 Mbps measured)
- a longer comfortable season (8 months against 6)
Pick Sidon if you want
- no clear edge over Beirut in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Beirut | Sidon |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 47 | 47 |
| Healthcare | 73 | 73 |
| Internet | 29 ✓ | 19 |
| Visa ease | 34 | 34 |
| Getting there & around | 18 | 18 |
| Climate | 67 ✓ | 50 |
| Air quality | 69 | 75 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 65 | 65 |
Cost
| Metric | Beirut | Sidon |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | no data |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Beirut | Sidon |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 2.64 | 2.64 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 43.4 | 43.4 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 67 | 67 |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Beirut | Sidon |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 3.8 Mbps ✓ | 1.9 Mbps |
| Upload | 2.9 Mbps | 3.6 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Beirut | Sidon |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Beirut | Sidon |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 54 | 54 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Beirut | Sidon |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 8 ✓ | 6 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 19 µg/m³ | 16.1 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Beirut or Sidon?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Beirut or Sidon safer?
- Beirut and Sidon score the same on safety (47), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Beirut or Sidon?
- Beirut: a measured median of 3.8 Mbps versus 1.9 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.