Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al Fujayrah and Sharjah

For one person, living is cheaper in Sharjah: $1,838 a month against $3,252 in Al Fujayrah, rent and utilities included – about $17,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

156

Cost of Living Index in Al Fujayrah
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Al Fujayrah Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Sharjah
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Sharjah Living Index

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Al Fujayrah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$3,252

/mo nomad

Sharjah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,838

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,252 per month in Al Fujayrah vs $1,838 in Sharjah, rent included.

Al Fujayrah $3,252
Sharjah $1,838

A couple spends around $4,819 per month in Al Fujayrah vs $2,578 in Sharjah, rent included.

Al Fujayrah $4,819
Sharjah $2,578

A family of three spends $6,387 per month in Al Fujayrah vs $3,318 in Sharjah, rent included.

Al Fujayrah $6,387
Sharjah $3,318

Al Fujayrah costs about 77% more than Sharjah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Al Fujayrah and Sharjah sit above the global median – Al Fujayrah by 141%, Sharjah by 36%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.28 AED 30.42

$5.96 AED 21.90

38.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.4 AED 218

$33.28 AED 122

78.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.63 AED 35.37

$7.96 AED 29.22

20.98%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.68 AED 35.54

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.54 AED 35.05

Cappuccino

$5.69 AED 20.89

$3.17 AED 11.64

79.50%

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

$1.45 AED 5.33

$0.78 AED 2.87

85.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.61 AED 2.23

$0.29 AED 1.06

110.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.75 AED 50.5

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.56 AED 49.79

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 AED 6.91

$1.53 AED 5.63

22.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.16 AED 4.28

$1.14 AED 4.18

1.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.43 AED 8.93

$1.83 AED 6.71

32.79%

Eggs

$3.44 AED 12.62

$3.33 AED 12.22

3.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.43 AED 19.94

$8.93 AED 32.80

-39.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 AED 20.02

$6.82 AED 25.03

-20.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 AED 28.54

$11.29 AED 41.46

-31.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.80 AED 6.61

$2.17 AED 7.99

-17.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 AED 5.11

$1.68 AED 6.15

-17.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 AED 4.79

$1.35 AED 4.98

-2.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.42 AED 5.21

$1.24 AED 4.56

14.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.03 AED 3.80

-4.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$1.08 AED 3.96

-5.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 AED 4.11

$1.49 AED 5.47

-24.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 AED 2.24

$0.60 AED 2.21

1.67%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$15.47 AED 56.8

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.41 AED 8.85

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 AED 9.80

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.93 AED 21.79

$6.38 AED 23.42

-7.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.38 AED 60.1

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.47

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 AED 11.27

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.93 AED 10.75

$2.23 AED 8.18

31.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.45 AED 60.4

$27.05 AED 99.3

-39.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 AED 10.06

$3.66 AED 13.45

-25.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.28 AED 1.03

$0.55 AED 2.03

-49.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.71 AED 9.95

$11.78 AED 43.26

-76.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.83 AED 3.05

$0.93 AED 3.40

-10.75%

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

$27.3K AED 100.3K

$46.1K AED 169.4K

-40.81%

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

$22.6K AED 83.1K

$21.7K AED 79.9K

4.02%

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

$236 AED 868

$211 AED 774

12.14%

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

$45.36 AED 167

$49.45 AED 182

-8.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$98.0 AED 360

-6.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$94.5 AED 347

$53.9 AED 198

75.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.89 AED 110

$22.30 AED 81.9

34.04%

Cinema Ticket

$9.92 AED 36.43

$13.86 AED 50.9

-28.43%

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

$268 AED 984

$329 AED 1,210

-18.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,502 AED 16.5K

$8,480 AED 31.1K

-46.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.10 AED 111

$59.1 AED 217

-49.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.7 AED 201

$77.7 AED 285

-29.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 373

$110 AED 404

-7.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.9 AED 304

$96.4 AED 354

-13.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,400 AED 8,815

$826 AED 3,033

190.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,124 AED 7,802

$894 AED 3,285

137.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,998 AED 18.4K

$1,832 AED 6,730

172.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,078 AED 15.0K

$1,423 AED 5,228

186.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,099 AED 29.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,768 AED 10.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,694 AED 13.6K

$2,187 AED 8,031

68.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.5

-55.56%

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

Last update for Al Fujayrah: October 11, 2026

Last update for Sharjah: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Al Fujayrah

$2.1K 65.3%

Sharjah

$894 48.7% 57.9% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al Fujayrah

$374 11.5%

Sharjah

$358 19.5% 4.1% $15

Eating Out

Al Fujayrah

$267 8.2%

Sharjah

$114 6.2% 57.4% $154

Groceries & Markets

Al Fujayrah

$219 6.7%

Sharjah

$193 10.5% 11.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Al Fujayrah

$121 3.7%

Sharjah

$154 8.4% 27.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Al Fujayrah

$114 3.5%

Sharjah

$82 4.4% 28.6% $33

Getting Around

Al Fujayrah

$32 1%

Sharjah

$42 2.3% 31.2% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,400 in Al Fujayrah versus $826 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 69% higher in Al Fujayrah, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $59.0 in Al Fujayrah versus $33.00 in Sharjah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $219 vs $193 – making Sharjah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Al Fujayrah

🇦🇪 Sharjah

🕒 Local time

08:27 8:27 AM

Same time as Al Fujayrah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

118,933

1,400,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Al Fujayrah Sharjah 87 km

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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 Fujayrah vs Sharjah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Fujayrah costs about 77% 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 $4,878 per month in Al Fujayrah and $2,757 in Sharjah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sharjah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $268 per month in Al Fujayrah and $329 in Sharjah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Al Fujayrah, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Sharjah, where all-in costs run around $1,838, than in Al Fujayrah at $3,252. In Sharjah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Al Fujayrah it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sharjah costs $1,838 versus $3,252 in Al Fujayrah. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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