Cost of living in United Arab Emirates
Summary of cost of living in United Arab Emirates
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: Dirham 17,774
- Single person estimated monthly costs: Dirham 10,376
- Cost of living in United Arab Emirates is more expensive than in 87% of countries in the World (11 out of 77)
| Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | Dirham 47 | ||
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | Dirham 31 | ||
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | Dirham 14 | ||
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | Dirham 7 | ||
| 12 eggs, large | Dirham 13 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | Dirham 5.19 | ||
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | Dirham 22 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | Dirham 8 | ||
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | Dirham 4.00 | ||
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | Dirham 13 | ||
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | Dirham 56 | ||
| 2 liters of coca-cola | Dirham 8 | ||
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | Dirham 4.38 | ||
| Housing | |||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | Dirham 9,101 | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | Dirham 6,393 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | Dirham 647 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | Dirham 5,210 | ||
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | Dirham 3,122 | ||
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | Dirham 466 | ||
| Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | Dirham 355 | ||
| 40” flat screen tv | Dirham 1,296 | ||
| Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | Dirham 380 | ||
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | Dirham 42 | ||
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | Dirham 43 | ||
| Clothes | |||
| 1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | Dirham 231 | ||
| 1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | Dirham 210 | ||
| 1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | Dirham 322 | ||
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | Dirham 316 | ||
| Transportation | |||
| Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | Dirham 96,923 | ||
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | Dirham 3.32 | ||
| Monthly ticket public transport | Dirham 283 | ||
| Personal Care | |||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | Dirham 25 | ||
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | Dirham 50 | ||
| Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | Dirham 293 | ||
| 1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | Dirham 23 | ||
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | Dirham 19 | ||
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | Dirham 17 | ||
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | Dirham 15 | ||
| Tube of toothpaste | Dirham 15 | ||
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | Dirham 44 | ||
| Entertainment | |||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | Dirham 206 | ||
| 2 tickets to the movies | Dirham 96 | ||
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | Dirham 237 | ||
| Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | Dirham 277 | ||
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | Dirham 91 | ||
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | Dirham 20 | ||
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | Dirham 45 | ||
| Ipad wi-fi 128gb | Dirham 1,982 | ||
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | Dirham 0.48 | ||
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | Dirham 308 | ||
| 1 package of marlboro cigarettes | Dirham 17 | ||
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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Recent Comparisons
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- Cost of living in Dubai is 169% more expensive than in Mumbai
- Cost of living in Dubai is 108% more expensive than in Belo Horizonte
- Cost of living in Dubai is 53% more expensive than in Riyadh
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Prices recently added
- 1 pack of marlboro cigarettes in Dubai costs Dirham 21 (1 day ago)
- 1 kg of tomatoes in Dubai costs Dirham 5.50 (5 days ago)
- Monthly rent - 45 m2 furnished studio in normal area in Dubai costs Dirham 3,500 (6 days ago)
- Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city in Dubai costs Dirham 55 (7 days ago)
- 1 month of gym membership in business district in Dubai costs Dirham 180 (7 days ago)
- One-way ticket in public transport in Dubai costs Dirham 3.00 (7 days ago)
- Taxi, initial meter charge, weekday at noon in Dubai costs Dirham 25 (7 days ago)
- 6 eggs, large in Dubai costs Dirham 9 (7 days ago)
- Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) in Dubai costs Dirham 26 (7 days ago)
- Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district in Dubai costs Dirham 11 (7 days ago)