Cost of living in United Arab Emirates
Summary of cost of living in United Arab Emirates
- Family of four estimated monthly costs: $4,757 (Dirham 17,472)
- Single person estimated monthly costs: $2,970 (Dirham 10,909)
- Cost of living in United Arab Emirates is more expensive than in 72% of countries in the World (19 out of 65)
| Food | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| AED | USD | ||
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | Dirham 42 | ($11) | |
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) | Dirham 32 | ($9) | |
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | Dirham 15 | ($4.02) | |
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | Dirham 6 | ($1.73) | |
| 12 eggs, large | Dirham 14 | ($3.94) | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | Dirham 5.00 | ($1.36) | |
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | Dirham 20 | ($5.38) | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | Dirham 8 | ($2.16) | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | Dirham 3.66 | ($1.00) | |
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | Dirham 10 | ($2.74) | |
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | Dirham 64 | ($17) | |
| 2 liters of coca-cola | Dirham 8 | ($2.31) | |
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | Dirham 4.47 | ($1.22) | |
| Housing | |||
| AED | USD | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in expensive area | Dirham 9,818 | ($2,673) | |
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 sqft) furnished accommodation in normal area | Dirham 7,073 | ($1,926) | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | Dirham 885 | ($241) | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in expensive area | Dirham 5,950 | ($1,620) | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 sqft) furnished studio in normal area | Dirham 4,006 | ($1,091) | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 sqft) studio | Dirham 650 | ($177) | |
| Internet 8 mbps (1 month) | Dirham 330 | ($90) | |
| 40” flat screen tv | Dirham 931 | ($253) | |
| Microwave 800/900 watt (bosch, panasonic, lg, sharp, or equivalent brands) | Dirham 355 | ($97) | |
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | Dirham 43 | ($12) | |
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | Dirham 37 | ($10) | |
| Clothes | |||
| AED | USD | ||
| 1 pair of jeans (levis 501 or similar) | Dirham 194 | ($53) | |
| 1 summer dress in a high street store (zara, h&m or similar retailers) | Dirham 185 | ($50) | |
| 1 pair of sport shoes (nike, adidas, or equivalent brands) | Dirham 342 | ($93) | |
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | Dirham 340 | ($93) | |
| Transportation | |||
| AED | USD | ||
| Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new | Dirham 93,159 | ($25,363) | |
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | Dirham 3.10 | ($0.84) | |
| Monthly ticket public transport | Dirham 98 | ($27) | |
| Personal Care | |||
| AED | USD | ||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (tylenol, frenadol, coldrex, or equivalent brands) | Dirham 13 | ($3.66) | |
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | Dirham 30 | ($8) | |
| Short visit to private doctor (15 minutes) | Dirham 272 | ($74) | |
| 1 box of 32 tampons (tampax, ob, ...) | Dirham 28 | ($8) | |
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | Dirham 17 | ($4.63) | |
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | Dirham 23 | ($6) | |
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | Dirham 13 | ($3.46) | |
| Tube of toothpaste | Dirham 12 | ($3.24) | |
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | Dirham 42 | ($11) | |
| Entertainment | |||
| AED | USD | ||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | Dirham 169 | ($46) | |
| 2 tickets to the movies | Dirham 92 | ($25) | |
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | Dirham 320 | ($87) | |
| Dinner for two at an italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | Dirham 292 | ($80) | |
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | Dirham 81 | ($22) | |
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | Dirham 21 | ($5.60) | |
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | Dirham 40 | ($11) | |
| Ipad wi-fi 128gb | Dirham 1,948 | ($530) | |
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | Dirham 0.71 | ($0.19) | |
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | Dirham 260 | ($71) | |
| 1 package of marlboro cigarettes | Dirham 19 | ($5.30) | |
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.
Cost of Living Ranking in United Arab Emirates
(top cities by data quality)
| Ranking | City | Price Index * |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dubai | 137 |
| 2nd | Abu Dhabi | 125 |
| 3rd | Al Ain | 105 |
Price 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.
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Recent Comparisons
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