Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Ain and Sharjah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharjah: $1,726 a month against $1,804 in Al Ain, rent and utilities included – about $940 less a year. The total is higher in Al Ain despite lower rent and utilities.

87

Cost of Living Index in Al Ain
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Al Ain Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index

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Al Ain

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,804

/mo nomad

Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,726

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al Ain 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 Al Ain and in Sharjah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,804 per month in Al Ain vs $1,726 in Sharjah, rent included.

Al Ain $1,804
Sharjah $1,726

A couple spends around $2,558 per month in Al Ain vs $2,594 in Sharjah, rent included.

Al Ain $2,558
Sharjah $2,594

A family of three spends $3,312 per month in Al Ain vs $3,462 in Sharjah, rent included.

Al Ain $3,312
Sharjah $3,462

Al Ain costs about 5% more than Sharjah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Al Ain and Sharjah sit above the global median – Al Ain by 33%, Sharjah by 27%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.33 AED 30.59

$5.88 AED 21.58

41.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$53.5 AED 197

$32.16 AED 118

66.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.57 AED 31.47

$8.13 AED 29.87

5.41%

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

$4.74 AED 17.41

$3.12 AED 11.46

51.92%

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

$0.73 AED 2.70

$0.75 AED 2.75

-2.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 AED 1.20

$0.31 AED 1.15

6.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.23 AED 30.24

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.61 AED 24.26

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.75

$1.59 AED 5.84

15.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 AED 5.80

$1.20 AED 4.40

31.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 AED 8.09

$1.82 AED 6.70

20.88%

Eggs

$2.78 AED 10.22

$3.32 AED 12.20

-16.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.55 AED 35.09

$8.65 AED 31.77

10.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.13 AED 37.19

$6.54 AED 24.01

54.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.88 AED 32.60

$11.46 AED 42.09

-22.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.51 AED 9.21

$2.26 AED 8.28

11.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 AED 7.26

$1.75 AED 6.44

13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 AED 6.90

$1.32 AED 4.83

42.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$1.23 AED 4.50

24.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$1.08 AED 3.96

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 AED 4.23

$1.10 AED 4.06

4.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 AED 3.07

$1.42 AED 5.20

-40.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 AED 1.89

$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)

$6.21 AED 22.79

$6.57 AED 24.14

-5.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.49 AED 45.86

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.57 AED 9.43

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 AED 9.15

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 AED 2.27

$2.12 AED 7.79

-70.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.05 AED 95.7

$27.55 AED 101

-5.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.36 AED 8.67

$3.61 AED 13.26

-34.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 AED 2.07

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.11 AED 29.80

$12.03 AED 44.19

-32.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.93 AED 3.42

$0.97 AED 3.58

-4.12%

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

$25.6K AED 94.0K

$44.1K AED 162.1K

-42.00%

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

$21.5K AED 79.0K

$21.0K AED 77.1K

2.52%

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

$113 AED 416

$212 AED 779

-46.57%

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

$48.02 AED 176

$48.90 AED 180

-1.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$98.0 AED 360

-6.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 AED 207

$54.3 AED 199

4.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.38 AED 101

$22.44 AED 82.4

22.01%

Cinema Ticket

$13.81 AED 50.7

$13.82 AED 50.8

-0.07%

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

$849 AED 3,120

$340 AED 1,250

149.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,464 AED 27.4K

$8,356 AED 30.7K

-10.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.83 AED 161

$58.8 AED 216

-25.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$49.40 AED 181

$78.4 AED 288

-36.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.1 AED 261

$108 AED 396

-34.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 AED 378

$93.8 AED 344

9.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$876 AED 3,218

$816 AED 2,996

7.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$847 AED 3,111

$784 AED 2,879

8.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,665 AED 6,114

$1,831 AED 6,723

-9.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,220 AED 4,479

$1,578 AED 5,795

-22.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,645 AED 9,714

$7,442 AED 27.3K

-64.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,548 AED 5,687

$2,551 AED 9,368

-39.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,670 AED 9,806

$2,219 AED 8,149

20.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.55

4.5

1.11%

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

Last update for Al Ain: 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

Al Ain

$847 47%

Sharjah

$784 45.4% 7.5% $63

Groceries & Markets

Al Ain

$258 14.3%

Sharjah

$193 11.2% 25.1% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Ain

$253 14%

Sharjah

$359 20.8% 41.8% $106

Eating Out

Al Ain

$208 11.5%

Sharjah

$113 6.6% 45.6% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Al Ain

$120 6.7%

Sharjah

$152 8.8% 26.8% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Al Ain

$84 4.7%

Sharjah

$82 4.8% 2.6% $2.2

Getting Around

Al Ain

$34 1.9%

Sharjah

$42 2.5% 26% $8.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $876 in Al Ain versus $816 in Sharjah. 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 20% 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 $32 in Sharjah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $193 – making Sharjah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Al Ain

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🕒 Local time

02:49 2:49 AM

Same time as Al Ain

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

631,005

1,400,000

💱 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

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Al Ain Sharjah 130 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

Al Ain vs Sharjah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Ain costs about 5% more than Sharjah, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,706 per month in Al Ain and $2,589 in Sharjah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $876 in Al Ain and $816 in Sharjah. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $849 per month in Al Ain and $340 in Sharjah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 34% more in Al Ain, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$3,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,804 in Al Ain and $1,726 in Sharjah, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Sharjah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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

If budget matters most, go with Sharjah. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Al Ain makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.