Lebanon’s annual inflation rate reached 16.66% in August 2026, according to the Central Administration of Statistics (CAS), while prices rose 1.40% in August alone.

The pressure is being felt across a broad range of expenses, from school tuition, insurance and rents to healthcare, food and transportation. As the gap between income and spending widens, many households are being forced to seek second jobs or additional sources of income, while others are cutting consumption and giving up some necessities.

The strain has also begun to spill into the streets, with unions preparing for a nationwide strike next week.

Fuel and Transport Lead Price Increases

Updated figures obtained by Nidaa Al Watan from Maria Nalbandian, director of the Central Administration of Statistics, show how sharply the cost of several goods and services increased between February and August 2026.

The largest increase among the categories listed was recorded for liquid fuels, including gasoline, diesel and fuel oil, whose prices rose 72.92%.

Fuel and lubricants for transportation followed, rising 50.40%, while land transportation costs increased 41.95%.

Air transportation rose 25.46%, while other transportation-related services — including car rentals without a driver and monthly parking or garage subscriptions — increased 23.60%.

Vehicle-related services, including car repairs, bodywork and painting, oil changes and car washing, rose 15.52%.

The figures show that the pressure on transportation costs extends beyond fuel itself, affecting virtually every component of getting around and maintaining a vehicle.

Household Energy Costs Rise

Household energy expenses also increased.

Electricity-generator subscriptions rose 16.08% between February and August, while solid fuels such as coal and firewood increased 12.31%.

The increases therefore extended beyond transportation fuels to energy costs that directly affect households’ daily budgets.

Food Prices Rise, With Meat Up 13.71%

Food prices also recorded significant increases.

Meat prices rose 13.71%, the largest increase among the food categories listed. Bread and cereals increased 11.75%, while oils and fats — including vegetable oil, olive oil, butter, tahini and ghee — rose 9.50%.

Fruit prices increased 8.73%, while mineral water, soft drinks and fruit and vegetable juices rose 9.33%.

Overall, the food categories cited in the data recorded increases ranging from 8.73% to 13.71% between February and August.

Healthcare Costs Add to Household Burden

Healthcare has also become more expensive.

Medical services increased 9.60%, while dental services rose 10.02%.

Hospital services recorded a larger increase of 16.29%, adding to the financial burden on families already struggling with higher everyday expenses.

Education and Leisure Costs Climb

The cost of educational services outside regular school tuition also increased sharply.

Private tutoring and computer and language courses at private institutes rose 18.53%.

Cultural services, including cinema, theater, concerts, festivals, neighborhood satellite subscriptions and photography services, recorded one of the largest increases, at 25.93%.

Sports and recreational services — including gym memberships, swimming pools, sports facilities, skating, amusement parks and sports classes outside school — increased 13.43%.

Organized package holidays outside Lebanon rose 14.54%.

Restaurants, Beauty Services Also More Expensive

The increase in prices has extended to everyday services.

Restaurant and cafe prices rose 12.06%, while hairdressing and beauty services increased 13.44%.

The cost of domestic workers rose 13.48%, while other personal goods, including handbags and wallets, non-precious jewelry, sunglasses, baby strollers, smoking accessories and funeral-related goods, increased 9.93%.

The figures underline the breadth of the pressure facing households, with higher costs affecting not only food and fuel but also healthcare, education, transportation, personal services and leisure.

Salaries Struggle to Keep Pace

The continued rise in prices is putting pressure on purchasing power as salaries and transportation allowances largely remain unchanged.

The effect is particularly severe for lower-income households, with the erosion of purchasing power adding to poverty pressures.

Energy costs could put additional pressure on prices in September, with the price of a barrel of oil reaching $108, according to the report.

Nabil Fahd, deputy head of the Beirut and Mount Lebanon Chamber of Commerce and Industry and head of the supermarket owners’ syndicate, told Nidaa Al Watan that supermarkets were seeing stable sales of cheaper products, while sales of more expensive goods had declined as consumers shifted toward lower-priced alternatives.

Excluding vegetables, fruit and meat, Fahd said, price increases had generally been limited to between 3% and 6%.

Vegetable and fruit prices tend to fluctuate daily, he said, while meat prices have risen sharply worldwide, pushing up prices in Lebanon.

Fahd also said September typically brings a seasonal decline in sales because it coincides with the start of the school year, tuition payments and the departure of expatriates.

“We have not seen a decline in sales beyond what we normally see at this time of year, except for higher-priced products,” he said.

Nationwide Strike Planned

The rising cost of living has prompted unions, public-sector employees, land transport groups and retirees to prepare for protests and a warning strike.

The General Labor Union is due to meet on Saturday to set a date for a nationwide strike.

Meanwhile, Bassam Tleis, head of Lebanon’s land transport unions and syndicates, announced after a meeting that the sector would stage a nationwide strike, protest and sit-in on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026.

The action will involve all segments of the land transport sector, with further details expected to be announced at a news conference on Tuesday.

The General Labor Union has also agreed with President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam to establish an emergency task force comprising the ministers of economy, public works, interior, finance and social affairs.

The committee will examine measures to ease the impact of the regional crisis on low-income citizens.

$1,187 Minimum, $3,000 Needed

General Labor Union chief Beshara al-Asmar told Nidaa Al Watan that the minimum salary and wage level needed for a family of four had been estimated at $1,187 based on a basic consumption basket.

That figure includes housing, school expenses and essential services, transportation, and medical and hospitalization costs for employees covered by the Employees’ Cooperative or the National Social Security Fund.

But al-Asmar stressed that the $1,187 figure represents only a minimum standard of living and does not account for higher-cost private schools.

Annual tuition at some schools has reached $6,000, exceeding the levels recorded in 2019.

Insurance premiums have also increased for people without other coverage, while monthly rents, transportation, outpatient healthcare and food costs have all risen.

Taken together, those expenses mean a family of four — two parents and two children — needs a monthly income of at least $3,000, according to the estimate cited by Nidaa Al Watan.