Byblos vs Sidon
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Byblos edges it, 51 to 48, winning 4 of the 9 factors. Byblos is stronger on climate; Sidon on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
One of the world's oldest harbours, 40 km up the coast from Beirut
Full Byblos profile →Plan a trip to Byblos →Crusader sea castle and old souks, 40 km south of Beirut
Full Sidon profile →Plan a trip to Sidon →Where they differ
- Climate. Byblos leads on climate, 67 to 50, against Sidon. Comfortable months: 8 vs 6.
- Getting there & around. Byblos leads on getting there & around, 23 to 18, against Sidon. Non-stop airport destinations: 54 vs 54.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, air quality, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Byblos if you want
- faster internet (2.4 Mbps measured)
- a longer comfortable season (8 months against 6)
Pick Sidon if you want
- no clear edge over Byblos in the data
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Byblos | Sidon |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | no data |
| Safety | 47 | 47 |
| Healthcare | 73 | 73 |
| Internet | 21 ✓ | 19 |
| Visa ease | 34 | 34 |
| Getting there & around | 23 ✓ | 18 |
| Climate | 67 ✓ | 50 |
| Air quality | 77 ✓ | 75 |
| Quality of life | 65 | 65 |
Cost
| Metric | Byblos | 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 | Byblos | 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 | Byblos | Sidon |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 2.4 Mbps ✓ | 1.9 Mbps |
| Upload | 2.5 Mbps | 3.6 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Byblos | 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 | Byblos | Sidon |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 54 | 54 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 1 | 1 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Byblos | Sidon |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 8 ✓ | 6 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 15.2 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, Byblos or Sidon?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Byblos or Sidon safer?
- Byblos and Sidon score the same on safety (47), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Byblos or Sidon?
- Byblos: a measured median of 2.4 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); 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.