Cost of living in United Arab Emirates
Summary of cost of living in United Arab Emirates
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: Dirham 22,054
- Single person estimated monthly costs: Dirham 14,582
- United Arab Emirates is the most expensive country in Middle East (1 out of 4)
- Cost of living in United Arab Emirates is more expensive than in 86% of countries in the World (9 out of 59)
| Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | Dirham 46 | ||
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | Dirham 34 | ||
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | Dirham 18 | ||
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | Dirham 7 | ||
| 12 eggs, large | Dirham 13 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | Dirham 6 | ||
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | Dirham 19 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | Dirham 9 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | Dirham 4.44 | ||
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | Dirham 10 | ||
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | Dirham 59 | ||
| 2 liters of coca-cola | Dirham 8 | ||
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | Dirham 5.06 | ||
| Housing | |||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | Dirham 14,225 | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | Dirham 9,147 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | Dirham 766 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | Dirham 8,038 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | Dirham 5,261 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | Dirham 580 | ||
| Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | Dirham 331 | ||
| 40” flat screen tv | Dirham 811 | ||
| Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | Dirham 342 | ||
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | Dirham 33 | ||
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | Dirham 29 | ||
| Clothes | |||
| 1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | Dirham 263 | ||
| 1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | Dirham 228 | ||
| 1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | Dirham 407 | ||
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | Dirham 419 | ||
| Transportation | |||
| Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | Dirham 94,847 | ||
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | Dirham 2.89 | ||
| Monthly ticket public transport | Dirham 270 | ||
| Personal Care | |||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | Dirham 22 | ||
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | Dirham 99 | ||
| Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | Dirham 315 | ||
| 1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | Dirham 21 | ||
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | Dirham 22 | ||
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | Dirham 22 | ||
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | Dirham 11 | ||
| Tube of toothpaste | Dirham 16 | ||
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | Dirham 41 | ||
| Entertainment | |||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | Dirham 179 | ||
| 2 tickets to the movies | Dirham 96 | ||
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | Dirham 484 | ||
| Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | Dirham 284 | ||
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | Dirham 78 | ||
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | Dirham 22 | ||
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | Dirham 45 | ||
| Ipad wi-fi 128gb | Dirham 1,716 | ||
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | Dirham 1.20 | ||
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | Dirham 321 | ||
| 1 package of marlboro cigarettes | Dirham 21 | ||
Moving to United Arab Emirates with your children?
International Schools in United Arab Emirates
Map of Cost of Living in United Arab Emirates
This map shows only the top cities in United Arab Emirates. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan:
List of all the cities available in Expatistan
The color of each marker corresponds with the cost of living in the city red markers show more expensive cities green ones show cheaper cities
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.
What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a
central reference city (that happens to be Prague).
Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the
database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Are you moving to United Arab Emirates? Do you know how much money you will need there to maintain your current standard of living?
Find out what is the real equivalent in UAE of your current salary and improve your chances of a happy relocation.
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