Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Ain and Ras al-Khaimah

For one person, living costs are similar in Al Ain and in Ras al-Khaimah: $1,804 and $1,834 a month, rent and utilities included.

87

Cost of Living Index in Al Ain
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Al Ain Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Ras al-Khaimah
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Ras al-Khaimah Living Index

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Al Ain

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,804

/mo nomad

Ras al-Khaimah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al Ain and in Ras al-Khaimah

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

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Al Ain vs $1,834 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent included.

Al Ain $1,804
Ras al-Khaimah $1,834

A couple spends around $2,558 per month in Al Ain vs $2,800 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent included.

Al Ain $2,558
Ras al-Khaimah $2,800

A family of three spends $3,312 per month in Al Ain vs $3,765 in Ras al-Khaimah, rent included.

Al Ain $3,312
Ras al-Khaimah $3,765

Al Ain and Ras al-Khaimah have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Al Ain and Ras al-Khaimah sit above the global median – Al Ain by 33%, Ras al-Khaimah by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.33 AED 30.59

$13.44 AED 49.36

-38.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.5 AED 197

$40.94 AED 150

30.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.57 AED 31.47

$7.42 AED 27.24

15.50%

Cappuccino

$4.74 AED 17.41

$5.59 AED 20.52

-15.21%

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

$0.73 AED 2.70

$1.10 AED 4.03

-33.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 AED 1.20

$0.45 AED 1.64

-26.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 AED 30.24

$10.39 AED 38.16

-20.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 AED 24.26

$9.61 AED 35.28

-31.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.75

$1.72 AED 6.31

6.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 AED 5.80

$2.03 AED 7.45

-22.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 AED 8.09

$1.96 AED 7.20

12.24%

Eggs

$2.78 AED 10.22

$2.39 AED 8.77

16.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.55 AED 35.09

$12.67 AED 46.54

-24.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.13 AED 37.19

$9.55 AED 35.08

6.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.88 AED 32.60

$15.66 AED 57.5

-43.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 AED 9.21

$2.07 AED 7.60

21.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 AED 7.26

$1.66 AED 6.09

19.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 AED 6.90

$1.54 AED 5.66

22.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$1.30 AED 4.76

17.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$0.91 AED 3.35

28.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 AED 4.23

$0.89 AED 3.26

29.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 AED 3.07

$1.73 AED 6.37

-51.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 AED 1.89

$0.46 AED 1.70

10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.21 AED 22.79

$6.68 AED 24.54

-7.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.49 AED 45.86

$13.38 AED 49.16

-6.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 AED 9.43

$2.63 AED 9.67

-2.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 AED 9.15

$2.87 AED 10.53

-13.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 AED 2.27

$2.12 AED 7.77

-70.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.05 AED 95.7

$133 AED 487

-80.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.36 AED 8.67

$1.65 AED 6.06

43.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 AED 2.07

$0.81 AED 2.97

-30.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.11 AED 29.80

$8.40 AED 30.86

-3.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 AED 3.42

$0.91 AED 3.35

2.20%

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

$25.6K AED 94.0K

$26.4K AED 97.1K

-3.17%

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

$21.5K AED 79.0K

$21.7K AED 79.5K

-0.59%

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

$113 AED 416

$125 AED 460

-9.41%

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

$48.02 AED 176

$38.58 AED 142

24.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$79.2 AED 291

16.00%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 AED 207

$54.1 AED 199

4.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.38 AED 101

$40.88 AED 150

-33.02%

Cinema Ticket

$13.81 AED 50.7

$13.17 AED 48.38

4.86%

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

$849 AED 3,120

$328 AED 1,203

159.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,464 AED 27.4K

$4,478 AED 16.4K

66.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.83 AED 161

$80.6 AED 296

-45.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.40 AED 181

$52.4 AED 192

-5.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.1 AED 261

$116 AED 428

-38.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 AED 378

$114 AED 418

-9.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$876 AED 3,218

$739 AED 2,714

18.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$847 AED 3,111

$643 AED 2,362

31.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 AED 6,114

$1,558 AED 5,722

6.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 AED 4,479

$1,227 AED 4,506

-0.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,645 AED 9,714

$6,263 AED 23.0K

-57.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,548 AED 5,687

$3,138 AED 11.5K

-50.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,670 AED 9,806

$1,588 AED 5,831

68.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

4.92

-7.52%

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

Last update for Al Ain: October 25, 2026

Last update for Ras al-Khaimah: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Ain

$847 47%

Ras al-Khaimah

$643 35.1% 24.1% $204

Groceries & Markets

Al Ain

$258 14.3%

Ras al-Khaimah

$283 15.4% 9.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Ain

$253 14%

Ras al-Khaimah

$243 13.2% 4.1% $10

Eating Out

Al Ain

$208 11.5%

Ras al-Khaimah

$274 15% 31.9% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Al Ain

$120 6.7%

Ras al-Khaimah

$163 8.9% 35.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Al Ain

$84 4.7%

Ras al-Khaimah

$80 4.4% 4.4% $3.7

Getting Around

Al Ain

$34 1.9%

Ras al-Khaimah

$147 8% 336% $113

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $876 in Al Ain versus $739 in Ras al-Khaimah. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 68% higher in Al Ain. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Al Ain versus $41 in Ras al-Khaimah. Groceries tell a different story – $258 in Al Ain vs $283 in Ras al-Khaimah – so Al Ain wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Al Ain

🇦🇪 Ras al-Khaimah

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

Same time as Al Ain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,005

241,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Al Ain Ras al-Khaimah 170 km

From you

Al Ain
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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

Al Ain vs Ras al-Khaimah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,706 per month in Al Ain and $2,751 in Ras al-Khaimah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ras al-Khaimah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $739 there versus $876 in Al Ain.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Ras al-Khaimah, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Kindergarten costs $849 per month in Al Ain and $328 in Ras al-Khaimah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Ras al-Khaimah has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,804 in Al Ain to $1,834 in Ras al-Khaimah. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.