- 15:10
From Paris to Dubai, and from Montreal to New York, young Lebanese expatriates usually make their way home every summer. Despite soaring costs and a sometimes chaotic daily reality, their attachment to the country remains intact. These are the stories of a generation caught between economic shock, nostalgia, and a vital need to reconnect and recharge.
Although they’re delighted to return to their homeland, Lebanese expats in their thirties and Gen Z youth agree on one thing: the cost of living in Lebanon is staggering.
Even so, it doesn’t stop them from coming back each summer to celebrate, reconnect with loved ones, and enjoy a season where every moment is worth the sacrifice. “It’s a vacation budget,” many acknowledge, “but seeing the sea again is priceless.”
Beirut More Expensive Than New York?
Loulya, 27, hadn’t returned to Lebanon since the summer of 2023, largely because of the Hezbollah-Israel conflict. Now based in New York, she notes that “every summer, everything gets more expensive: restaurants, bars, beaches.” In her view, only parking spots and rents remain somewhat affordable.
“It’s ridiculous that prices in Beirut are as high as, or even higher than, in New York or Dubai,” two cities where she has lived. She finds it absurd that a country in crisis has prices locals can’t match with their salaries. “Even as an expat with a better income, I still have to limit my spending.”
Even Yann, 16, who spent only a year in Canada, has noticed that prices have “gone up a lot.”
Budgets Under Pressure All Around
Stéphanie, 22, who has been living in Strasbourg for over a year, feels the same way: “Just like my friends in Lebanon and my expat friends, we all quickly found ourselves struggling to keep our budgets under control.” She says that in France, a night out is much less expensive than in Beirut.
Tamara, 26, who lives in Dubai, puts things in perspective: “It’s normal with inflation so high and a currency devalued by 98 percent.” She adds that for a foreign visitor, “Lebanon has become as expensive as a European country.”
Beirut, a City in Constant Flux
Youmna, 25, has been living in Paris for five years. Whenever she returns, she feels that Beirut has changed.
“In neighborhoods like Ashrafieh, Mar Mikhael, or Sodeco, I’m always discovering new restaurants and cafés.” She also notes how quickly the trendy spots shift: “Last year, everyone went out in Badaro; this year it’s Gemmayzeh. You have to keep up!”
Like the others, she is surprised by how easily people take the high prices in stride.
“In Paris, a lunch costs me 25 euros. In Beirut, it’s 50.”
“Here, spending feels much easier. For instance, I’ll pay 10 dollars for an iced coffee without hesitation or overthinking, simply because I’m on vacation. In Paris, the same purchase would feel heavier with my apartment bills and everything else,” she adds.
Seeing the Sea Again…
What draws these young people most of all? The sea. The sun. Family and friends. The intensity.
“The sea is what I missed most,” says Youmna, who spends her days between Amchit and Batroun. The mountains are also a favorite spot for recharging, offering a break from the hustle and bustle of the capital.
Stéphanie adds, “Just seeing the sea again, whether while driving or from the top of a mountain, I had missed it so much.”
Yann wanted to reconnect with almost everything: “My dad, my dog, the good food, the sea, the mountains… and especially horseback riding,” a passion he had to put on hold in Canada.
“Everything Feels Easier in Beirut…”
Despite the surrounding chaos, many speak of a return to simplicity, a certain ease of living. “Everything is close by. You can do a thousand things in a single day,” says Yann.
Youmna adds, “The sea is just an hour from the mountains, that’s priceless.”
Another highlight of vacations in their homeland: mom’s and aunt’s cooking along with a warmth that makes all the difference for a generation used to juggling “commute, work, sleep, and paperwork,” and especially doing everything on their own.
They don’t always find this kind of human connection and generosity in their host countries. In Lebanon, they rediscover mutual support, social bonds, and spontaneity.
And it changes everything. That too is priceless.
“I’m Shocked by How People Drive”
But it’s not all so simple. Youmna no longer drives in Lebanon. “Since I’ve been driving in Paris, driving here gives me headaches. It’s dangerous. I’d rather take an Uber or go out with friends who can pick me up.”
Stéphanie agrees: “When we come back, we realize that many things we thought were normal just aren’t, like the roads and the way people drive.”
She does remember driving every day when she worked in Beirut. But this summer, behind the wheel, she felt “strange”: “It felt like I was driving for the first time.” After two months, however, she admits she has “gotten used to it all over again.”
Against All Odds
Despite the sky-high prices, chaotic roads, and the challenges of daily life, young people from the diaspora keep coming back, time and again, against all odds.
For them, Lebanon is first and foremost a deep, instinctive connection between the sea, the mountains, and the roots that stay with you no matter where life takes you.
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