What It Costs to Send Money to Lebanon from the US
In the 2024 Q3 World Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide quarterly survey, sending USD 200 from the United States to Lebanon carried a median total cost of 10.00% and an average total cost of 12.90% of the amount sent. Total cost in this survey combines two components: the explicit transfer fee charged by the provider and the exchange-rate margin, which is the difference between the mid-market rate and the rate applied to the transaction.
Across the 15 providers surveyed in that 2024 Q3 snapshot, quoted total costs ranged from a low of 3.00% to a high of 25.00% of the USD 200 send amount. The cheapest surveyed provider in the 2024 Q3 World Bank data was MoneyGram. Because this reflects a single dated survey, the provider lineup and individual prices may have changed since that period.
Costs within this corridor can differ depending on the payment method used, the payout method selected by the recipient, and the amount transferred, so figures for one scenario do not necessarily apply to others. The World Bank updates its Remittance Prices Worldwide data quarterly. The per-provider table below presents the individual quoted figures drawn from that same 2024 Q3 survey.
Surveyed providers (2024 Q3)
| Provider | Type | Pay-out | Speed (surveyed) | Total cost, $200 | Total cost, $500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MoneyGram | MTO | Internet | Less than one hour | 3.00% | 1.80% |
| Walmart2World | Bank | Internet | Less than one hour | 3.50% | 1.40% |
| Western Union | MTO | Agent | Less than one hour | 4.00% | 1.60% |
| MoneyGram | MTO | Internet | Less than one hour | 6.00% | 4.50% |
| Walmart2World | Bank | Internet | Less than one hour | 6.00% | 4.50% |
| Walmart2World | Bank | Agent | Less than one hour | 7.50% | 3.00% |
| MoneyGram | MTO | Agent | Less than one hour | 7.50% | 3.00% |
| Western Union | MTO | Internet | Less than one hour | 10.00% | 9.00% |
| Western Union | MTO | Internet | Less than one hour | 13.50% | 11.90% |
| Citibank | Bank | Internet | 2 days | 17.50% | 7.00% |
| Bank of America | Bank | Bank branch | 2 days | 22.50% | 9.00% |
| Bank of America | Bank | Call Center | 2 days | 22.50% | 9.00% |
| Citibank | Bank | Bank branch | 2 days | 22.50% | 9.00% |
| Citibank | Bank | Call Center | 2 days | 22.50% | 9.00% |
Total cost = transfer fee + exchange-rate margin, as a percent of the amount sent, at the two surveyed send amounts ($200 / $500). Surveyed prices, not live quotes.
Estimate your transfer cost →Source: The World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide, available at http://remittanceprices.worldbank.org (CC BY 4.0). Figures are from the 2024 Q3 survey — surveyed prices, not live quotes.