Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ajman and Sharjah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharjah: $1,726 a month against $1,842 in Ajman, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. The total is higher in Ajman despite lower rent and utilities.

88

Cost of Living Index in Ajman
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Ajman Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index

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Ajman

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,842

/mo nomad

Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Ajman and in Sharjah

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Ajman and in Sharjah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,842 in Ajman versus $1,726 in Sharjah.

Ajman $1,842
Sharjah $1,726

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,306 in Ajman versus $2,594 in Sharjah.

Ajman $3,306
Sharjah $2,594

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,769 in Ajman versus $3,462 in Sharjah.

Ajman $4,769
Sharjah $3,462

Living in Ajman is roughly 7% more expensive than in Sharjah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Ajman 35% above, Sharjah 27% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.66 AED 20.79

$5.88 AED 21.58

-3.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$26.78 AED 98.4

$32.16 AED 118

-16.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.13 AED 29.86

$8.13 AED 29.87

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.57 AED 35.13

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.29 AED 34.12

Cappuccino

$3.72 AED 13.65

$3.12 AED 11.46

19.23%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.80 AED 2.93

$0.75 AED 2.75

6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 AED 1.46

$0.31 AED 1.15

29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$10.77 AED 39.55

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$12.48 AED 45.83

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 AED 7.14

$1.59 AED 5.84

22.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 AED 4.97

$1.20 AED 4.40

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 AED 5.35

$1.82 AED 6.70

-19.78%

Eggs

$2.08 AED 7.65

$3.32 AED 12.20

-37.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 AED 29.05

$8.65 AED 31.77

-8.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.59 AED 24.20

$6.54 AED 24.01

0.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.51 AED 34.92

$11.46 AED 42.09

-17.02%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 AED 7.12

$2.26 AED 8.28

-14.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 AED 4.87

$1.75 AED 6.44

-24.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$1.32 AED 4.83

18.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 AED 3.79

$1.23 AED 4.50

-16.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 AED 3.77

$1.08 AED 3.96

-4.63%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 AED 4.17

$1.10 AED 4.06

3.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 AED 4.34

$1.42 AED 5.20

-16.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 AED 1.87

$0.59 AED 2.18

-13.56%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.45 AED 56.8

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 AED 9.16

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 AED 9.88

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.34 AED 23.30

$6.57 AED 24.14

-3.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.02 AED 40.45

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.60 AED 5.88

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 AED 8.45

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 AED 14.94

$2.12 AED 7.79

91.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$69.4 AED 255

$27.55 AED 101

151.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.48 AED 12.77

$3.61 AED 13.26

-3.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 AED 2.42

$0.56 AED 2.07

17.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.41 AED 30.89

$12.03 AED 44.19

-30.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 AED 3.05

$0.97 AED 3.58

-14.43%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$45.4K AED 166.8K

$44.1K AED 162.1K

2.89%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$22.0K AED 80.7K

$21.0K AED 77.1K

4.69%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$154 AED 565

$212 AED 779

-27.54%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$49.88 AED 183

$48.90 AED 180

2.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.4 AED 314

$98.0 AED 360

-12.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.9 AED 282

$54.3 AED 199

41.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.74 AED 35.79

$22.44 AED 82.4

-56.60%

Cinema Ticket

$13.64 AED 50.1

$13.82 AED 50.8

-1.30%

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

$492 AED 1,806

$340 AED 1,250

44.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,741 AED 21.1K

$8,356 AED 30.7K

-31.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.4 AED 214

$58.8 AED 216

-0.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.1 AED 224

$78.4 AED 288

-22.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 AED 312

$108 AED 396

-21.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.8 AED 348

$93.8 AED 344

1.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,283 AED 8,386

$816 AED 2,996

179.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$812 AED 2,982

$784 AED 2,879

3.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,619 AED 5,946

$1,831 AED 6,723

-11.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,727 AED 10.0K

$1,578 AED 5,795

72.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,272 AED 8,343

$7,442 AED 27.3K

-69.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,366 AED 5,015

$2,551 AED 9,368

-46.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,259 AED 8,297

$2,219 AED 8,149

1.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

11.11%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Ajman: October 25, 2026

Last update for Sharjah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Ajman

$812 44.1%

Sharjah

$784 45.4% 3.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ajman

$289 15.7%

Sharjah

$359 20.8% 24.2% $70

Groceries & Markets

Ajman

$212 11.5%

Sharjah

$193 11.2% 9.1% $19

Eating Out

Ajman

$198 10.7%

Sharjah

$113 6.6% 42.8% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Ajman

$135 7.3%

Sharjah

$152 8.8% 13.3% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Ajman

$104 5.7%

Sharjah

$82 4.8% 21.4% $22

Getting Around

Ajman

$92 5%

Sharjah

$42 2.5% 54.1% $50

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,283 in Ajman and $816 in Sharjah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $27 in Ajman vs $32 in Sharjah. Groceries flip the comparison at $212 vs $193, with Sharjah cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Ajman

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🕒 Local time

11:23 11:23 AM

Same time as Ajman

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

238,119

1,400,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Ajman Sharjah 6 km

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Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Ajman vs Sharjah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sharjah wins on cost – living expenses run 6% lower than in Ajman. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Sharjah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $2,764 in Ajman and $2,589 in Sharjah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,283 in Ajman versus $816 in Sharjah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $492 in Ajman versus $340 in Sharjah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 10% higher in Ajman. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $3,000 a month, though Sharjah gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Ajman and Sharjah are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.