Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Al-qardahah and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-qardahah: $638 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $27,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Al-qardahah
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Al-qardahah Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Al-qardahah

🇸🇾 Syria

$638

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Al-qardahah and in Dubai

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

A single person spends $638 per month in Al-qardahah vs $2,896 in Dubai, rent included.

Al-qardahah $638
Dubai $2,896

A couple spends around $1,011 per month in Al-qardahah vs $4,384 in Dubai, rent included.

Al-qardahah $1,011
Dubai $4,384

A family of three spends $1,383 per month in Al-qardahah vs $5,872 in Dubai, rent included.

Al-qardahah $1,383
Dubai $5,872

Al-qardahah is about 78% cheaper than Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Al-qardahah sits 53% below the global median, while Dubai is 115% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.83 SYP 1,194

$12.67 AED 46.55

-22.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.10 SYP 5,117

$81.7 AED 300

-48.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.03 SYP 855

$9.34 AED 34.30

-24.73%

Cappuccino

$3.67 SYP 446

$5.89 AED 21.62

-37.69%

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

$2.27 SYP 276

$1.69 AED 6.20

34.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 SYP 105

$0.78 AED 2.86

10.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 SYP 249

$13.66 AED 50.2

-84.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.98 SYP 484

$13.49 AED 49.54

-70.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 SYP 133

$1.84 AED 6.78

-40.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.42 SYP 50.5

$1.50 AED 5.50

-72.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 SYP 192

$2.57 AED 9.45

-38.52%

Eggs

$1.60 SYP 195

$3.32 AED 12.18

-51.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.89 SYP 472

$12.60 AED 46.28

-69.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.56 SYP 676

$9.66 AED 35.46

-42.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.73 SYP 1,668

$12.78 AED 46.93

7.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.02 SYP 124

$2.60 AED 9.54

-60.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.41 SYP 171

$1.90 AED 6.99

-25.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 SYP 139

$1.91 AED 7.02

-39.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.03 SYP 125

$1.37 AED 5.02

-24.82%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 SYP 91.9

$1.13 AED 4.14

-32.74%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 SYP 92.1

$1.01 AED 3.71

-24.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.44 SYP 53.5

$1.44 AED 5.30

-69.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SYP 75.9

$0.67 AED 2.48

-7.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 SYP 346

$5.88 AED 21.59

-51.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.81 SYP 706

$16.15 AED 59.3

-64.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 SYP 128

$2.72 AED 10.00

-61.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 SYP 355

$3.08 AED 11.32

-5.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.98 SYP 120

$3.24 AED 11.91

-69.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 SYP 190

$0.71 AED 2.61

121.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.49 SYP 911

$7.96 AED 29.22

-5.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.72 SYP 452

$0.98 AED 3.62

279.59%

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

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

$27.4K AED 100.6K

-44.95%

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

$19.0K SYP 2.3M

$22.0K AED 80.9K

-13.80%

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

$137 SYP 16.7K

$249 AED 913

-44.77%

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

$9.89 SYP 1,202

$54.4 AED 200

-81.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.78 SYP 5,564

$91.5 AED 336

-49.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 SYP 683

$16.29 AED 59.8

-65.50%

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

$66.2 SYP 8,040

$844 AED 3,098

-92.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,781 SYP 216.4K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-90.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$29.05 SYP 3,531

$67.0 AED 246

-56.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.40 SYP 4,788

$57.9 AED 213

-32.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.0 SYP 7,164

$102 AED 375

-42.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.9 SYP 7,030

$98.7 AED 363

-41.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

14.25

4.54

213.88%

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

Last update for Al-qardahah: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Al-qardahah

$193 30.2%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 104% $201

Eating Out

Al-qardahah

$175 27.3%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 74.9% $131

Groceries & Markets

Al-qardahah

$168 26.3%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 74% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Al-qardahah

$83 13.1%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 75.8% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Al-qardahah

$11 * 1.8%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 1109% $125

Getting Around

Al-qardahah

$8.8 * 1.4%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 912% $80

Accommodation & Living

Al-qardahah

- * 0%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Al-qardahah versus $82.0 in Dubai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $168 vs $292 – making Al-qardahah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Al-qardahah

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

19:42 7:42 PM

20:42 8:42 PM

1 h ahead of Al-qardahah

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Syrian Pound SYP £

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to SYP – Syrian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇾 Syrian Pound (£)

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to SYP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Al-qardahah Dubai 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Al-qardahah
Dubai

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-qardahah vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 354%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $958 per month in Al-qardahah and $4,344 in Dubai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Al-qardahah and $82.0 in Dubai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% more in Dubai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al-qardahah, where all-in costs run around $638, than in Dubai at $2,896. In Al-qardahah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Al-qardahah. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dubai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.