What rental yield can I get on an apartment in Beirut in 2026?

Also asked as: “What is the rental yield on property in Beirut?” · “Is renting out an apartment in Beirut profitable?” · “Beirut rental return on investment” · “Gross vs net rental yield in Lebanon”

What the few published figures say#

JSK Real Estate, a Lebanese agency, gave Ras Beirut a rental yield potential of 3.5%-5% gross yield (Q3 2025)^[1] and did not say how it worked that out. It is a broker's figure, over a year old by October 2026, and it is gross: before tax, maintenance, generator and empty months. As of October 2026 we found no 2026 yield source and no reliable published series of Beirut rents.

An opinion piece in Libnanews (August 2026) gives an illustration rather than an average: USD 300,000 flat at USD 1,000/month = USD 12,000 gross a year^[3], and about USD 9,000 net. Simple division gives 4% gross and 3% net, though the article does not state those percentages. Its point is that buyers who wanted a 6% net return would value such a flat at USD 150,000, or USD 112,500 at 8%.

Older numbers still circulate. Byblos Bank reported in July 2013 that Beirut gross yields had fallen from 10–11% six years earlier to 2.7–3.5%, and gave 3.62% for 2012^[4]. Those figures predate the crisis and cover upper-end flats in prestigious areas, so read them as history.

Why rents and prices have drifted apart#

The Beiruter reported in January 2026 that rents have not risen like sale prices, because resident households have limited purchasing power. It says rents are higher where there is a strong expatriate presence or job-driven demand, and more flexible outside Greater Beirut^[2]. It gives no rent figures by area.

Prices went up in the same period. Data from the brokers' syndicate R.E.A.L, reported by The Beiruter, put the rise in Beirut residential prices between 2024 and 2025 at 32.83%, though the method and sample are not published^[2]. R.E.A.L's president said the rise came from owners repricing closer to pre-2019 levels rather than from more sales. When rent stays flat and the price rises, the yield falls (see Are Beirut apartment prices too high for what the market can support?). A yield worked out on an asking price can also mislead you, because asking and recorded sale prices are not the same number^[3,5,6]. More on that in why advertised prices differ from registry prices.

What turns a gross yield into a net one#

A Libnanews opinion piece (August 2026) argues that many Lebanese flats earn no rent at all, because they are empty, used a few weeks a year or held for resale. They still carry maintenance, building, generator and lift costs, so their net return can be zero or negative^[3]. A study for the Municipality of Beirut, cited by Libnanews, found 23% of 1996-2018 dwellings vacant (over 7,000 units). Libnanews did not name its author or date, and we could not open the study ourselves.

Buying costs come off your return too. The Land Registry fee on a sale is 3% of the value for Lebanese buyers, 5% for non-Lebanese^[7]. Kallas Law Firm puts total buying charges at about 4% of the value for a Lebanese buyer and about 6% for a non-Lebanese buyer, before broker and lawyer fees^[8]. See the total cost of buying an apartment. Building charges differ from one building to the next, and who sets service charges explains how they are decided.