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Cost of Living in United Arab Emirates

Whether you’re retiring, temporarily relocating, or moving to United Arab Emirates for good, it’s helpful to have a picture of what life there will cost as an expat. Using Wise could help you reduce your overall costs. Now you can send, receive, and organise your money internationally, without hefty fees.

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Compare the cost of living by city in United Arab Emirates

This is a breakdown showing the living expenses in United Arab Emirates by city. Major cities usually have a higher cost of living than smaller cities. The average cost of living is about 55.8 as of April 2025, taking into account the most common and unavoidable costs such as housing, food, transport and more.

CityCost of Living IndexRent Index

59

49.5

53.9

35.4

47.3

21.6

Calculate the cost for living in United Arab Emirates

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Average living cost in United Arab Emirates

CategoryLocal currencyRange

Restaurants

Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant

35.00 AED

15.00-80.00

Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course

240.00 AED

120.00-450.00

McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)

35.00 AED

30.00-40.00

Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)

40.00 AED

22.00-62.19

Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)

45.00 AED

30.00-60.00

Cappuccino (regular)

21.16 AED

10.00-30.00

Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)

4.19 AED

2.59-10.59

Water (12 oz small bottle)

2.34 AED

1.00-8.00

Markets

Milk (regular), (1 gallon)

25.48 AED

15.14-42.62

Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)

4.65 AED

2.72-11.11

Rice (white), (1 lb)

3.56 AED

1.81-6.80

Eggs (regular) (12)

10.62 AED

6.00-18.00

Local Cheese (1 lb)

15.16 AED

6.80-45.36

Chicken Fillets (1 lb)

12.86 AED

6.35-24.49

Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)

16.75 AED

9.07-27.22

Apples (1 lb)

3.61 AED

1.81-5.44

Banana (1 lb)

2.87 AED

1.81-4.54

Oranges (1 lb)

2.94 AED

1.36-6.99

Tomato (1 lb)

2.33 AED

1.36-4.54

Potato (1 lb)

1.71 AED

0.91-3.18

Onion (1 lb)

1.93 AED

0.91-3.63

Lettuce (1 head)

5.92 AED

3.00-12.00

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

2.13 AED

1.50-3.00

Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)

50.00 AED

20.53-100.00

Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

9.99 AED

5.00-23.00

Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)

15.85 AED

6.28-47.96

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)

23.00 AED

20.00-28.00

Transportation

One-way Ticket (Local Transport)

6.00 AED

2.10-14.00

Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

222.50 AED

82.50-350.00

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

12.00 AED

6.00-15.00

Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)

4.02 AED

2.93-8.05

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

30.00 AED

29.81-50.00

Gasoline (1 gallon)

11.33 AED

10.52-13.70

Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)

163,937.00 AED

100,000.00-166,827.00

Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)

81,534.98 AED

80,000.00-89,665.41

Utilities (Monthly)

Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment

648.09 AED

392.31-1,020.00

Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data

213.26 AED

100.00-350.00

Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)

375.78 AED

299.00-459.00

Sports And Leisure

Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult

261.17 AED

100.00-500.00

Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)

124.38 AED

50.00-200.00

Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat

50.00 AED

38.00-70.00

Childcare

Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child

2,458.62 AED

1,100.00-5,000.00

International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child

39,217.42 AED

20,000.00-72,000.00

Clothing And Shoes

1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

218.48 AED

80.00-400.00

1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)

208.77 AED

96.32-390.00

1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)

353.03 AED

200.00-500.00

1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes

360.83 AED

199.00-650.00

Rent Per Month

Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre

5,862.00 AED

3,236.08-12,000.00

Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre

4,070.24 AED

2,500.00-6,000.00

Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre

11,903.03 AED

5,884.40-20,000.00

Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre

8,190.72 AED

4,374.44-15,000.00

Buy Apartment Price

Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre

1,516.88 AED

724.64-2,972.87

Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre

1,012.06 AED

534.19-1,560.76

Salaries And Financing

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

12,684.38 AED

Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate

4.68

2.50-6.50

Source: Numbeo, Cost of living comparison. Checked April 2025.

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