How much does land cost per square metre in Lebanon?

Key facts#

Published land price per m²

None found for any area, as of October 2026

National price index

None reliable enough to use^[1,2]

One dunum

1 dunum = 1,600 m²^[7]

A whole property on the register

2,400 shares^[7,8,9]

All registered sales, 2025

70,981 transactions, about USD 6.16 billion (2025)^[1,10], all property types mixed

Average registered deal, Jan to May 2026

about USD 108,000 per transaction (2026)^[2,11], land, flats and shops mixed

Registration fee

3% of the value for Lebanese buyers, 5% for non-Lebanese^[12]

Official extract fee

USD 5^[8], according to one law firm (June 2025)

How to put a price on a plot from abroad#

1. 1
   Get the plot's identifiers in writing. Ask the seller for the governorate, district, real estate zone and property number, plus the section and block where they apply^[8,20]. These identify the plot on paper. See how to find a property's number and zone.
2. 2
   Get an official Land Registry extract. The official certificate (ifadeh aqariyeh) is issued by the land registry office for the property's area^[8,21]. Legalmondo (June 2025) says the request must be made in person at that office and puts the fee at USD 5^[8]. The same firm says anyone may request a certificate without showing a legal interest, so a lawyer you hire there can collect it for you. It also says no certificate is issued while a lien or registration on the plot is still being processed. If the office refuses one, ask why. An OMT copy helps for a first look, but it is unofficial and cannot be used for a sale^[8,15,20,22]. On the certificate, check the owners, their shares, the area and the charges^[8,15].
3. 3
   See exactly where the plot is. Where the boundaries on the cadastral plan differ from those on the ground, the plan prevails^[3,7]. The Cadastre monitors the sworn surveyors it treats as its affiliates^[16]. Our sources do not say how to order a plan or what it costs, so ask the registry office or a sworn surveyor. More in cadastral maps and surveys. As of October 2026, the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel^[23] to the South and Nabatiyeh governorates, so you may not be able to visit a plot there.
4. 4
   Ask about the plot's zoning. Selling land requires a statement of contents from the municipality where the land lies, plus a location map^[21,24]. No source confirms which office issues a plot's zoning, so ask that municipality in writing which zoning and exploitation factors apply and, if it cannot answer, the General Directorate of Urban Planning.
5. 5
   Collect recorded sales, not asking prices. Ask local brokers for recent sales of plots in the same cadastral zone with similar zoning, and for the price that was registered. LeBusiness, An-Nahar and Libnanews all note that asking prices and sale prices differ^[1,2,25]. Cedar Keys Estates says listings are often priced on what a neighbour claims to have been offered, and then sit unsold for six months^[2].
6. 6
   Get an independent valuation. JSK Real Estate, an agency that sells valuations, wrote in September 2023 that reports come either from a sworn valuer accepted by the courts or from an agency, at different prices; it publishes no fees^[26]. It says a valuation involves a visit to the property and a review of its legal documents. See getting a property valued.
7. 7
   Add the fees before you make an offer. The registration fee is 3% of the value for Lebanese buyers, 5% for non-Lebanese^[12]. For built property, the fee is charged on an estimated value (the rental value multiplied by 30) when that is higher than the declared price^[27,28]. The sources we read do not confirm the fee base for unbuilt land, so ask the notary. Kallas Law Firm puts total buying charges, as a share of the property's value, at about 4% (Lebanese), about 6% (non-Lebanese)^[28]. That leaves out broker commission, lawyer fees and the extract.

It depends on#

• Where the plot is. A Cabinet-approved draft law would bar sales in Israeli-occupied towns of the south until the occupation ends, and it still needs Parliament's approval^[5,6]. Ask the registry office for that area whether it is working, and ask a lawyer about the draft.
• Your nationality. A foreigner may own up to 3,000 m²^[9,29,30] in total without a licence. Sources differ on what that limit covers: IDAL says it counts land in aggregate, including built property, while Choueh and Legal 500 say it covers built property or property set for building^[24,29,31]. Ask the notary before you price a large plot.
• Survey status. Where a region is not fully surveyed, a provisional delimitation and publication procedure applies before any new inscription, and objections must be filed within two months^[3]. Ask a property lawyer how this affects the plot.
• Land type and zoning. Whether the land is mulk or amiri changes the right you are buying^[14]. Ask the municipality what the zone allows you to build, and ask a lawyer about the land type.
• A whole plot or shares. Shares are a fraction of the whole plot, not a defined piece of it^[3,9,14]. Ask the notary what exactly will be registered in your name.

Common questions#