Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aqaba and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Aqaba: $907 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $23,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

44

Cost of Living Index in Aqaba
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Aqaba Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Aqaba

🇯🇴 Jordan

$907

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Aqaba 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 Aqaba and in Dubai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $907 per month in Aqaba vs $2,896 in Dubai, rent included.

Aqaba $907
Dubai $2,896

A couple spends around $1,490 per month in Aqaba vs $4,384 in Dubai, rent included.

Aqaba $1,490
Dubai $4,384

A family of three spends $2,073 per month in Aqaba vs $5,872 in Dubai, rent included.

Aqaba $2,073
Dubai $5,872

Aqaba is about 69% cheaper than Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Aqaba sits 33% below the global median, while Dubai is 115% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.78 JOD 1.97

$12.67 AED 46.55

-78.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$69.4 JOD 49.11

$81.7 AED 300

-15.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.32 JOD 3.06

$9.34 AED 34.30

-53.75%

Cappuccino

$4.39 JOD 3.11

$5.89 AED 21.62

-25.47%

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

$0.60 JOD 0.43

$1.69 AED 6.20

-64.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 JOD 0.42

$0.78 AED 2.86

-23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.25 JOD 5.84

$13.66 AED 50.2

-39.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$10.75 JOD 7.61

$13.49 AED 49.54

-20.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 JOD 1.01

$1.84 AED 6.78

-22.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 JOD 0.36

$1.50 AED 5.50

-66.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.59 JOD 1.12

$2.57 AED 9.45

-38.13%

Eggs

$1.72 JOD 1.22

$3.32 AED 12.18

-48.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.55 JOD 3.93

$12.60 AED 46.28

-55.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 JOD 3.06

$9.66 AED 35.46

-55.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.00 JOD 7.08

$12.78 AED 46.93

-21.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.44 JOD 1.02

$2.60 AED 9.54

-44.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.40 JOD 0.99

$1.90 AED 6.99

-26.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.07 JOD 0.76

$1.91 AED 7.02

-43.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.69 JOD 0.49

$1.37 AED 5.02

-49.64%

Potato (1kg)

$0.68 JOD 0.48

$1.13 AED 4.14

-39.82%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 JOD 0.51

$1.01 AED 3.71

-28.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 JOD 0.42

$1.44 AED 5.30

-58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 JOD 0.38

$0.67 AED 2.48

-20.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 JOD 2.67

$5.88 AED 21.59

-35.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.23 JOD 12.20

$16.15 AED 59.3

6.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 JOD 1.97

$2.72 AED 10.00

2.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 JOD 1.79

$3.08 AED 11.32

-17.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 JOD 0.36

$3.24 AED 11.91

-84.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 JOD 0.98

$0.71 AED 2.61

94.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.14 JOD 5.06

$7.96 AED 29.22

-10.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 JOD 1.02

$0.98 AED 3.62

46.94%

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

$30.8K JOD 21.8K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

12.31%

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

$31.6K JOD 22.3K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

43.25%

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

$127 JOD 90.0

$249 AED 913

-48.85%

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

$15.73 JOD 11.14

$54.4 AED 200

-71.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.46 JOD 22.27

$91.5 AED 336

-65.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 JOD 45.41

$103 AED 380

-37.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$11.10 JOD 7.86

$16.29 AED 59.8

-31.86%

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

$486 JOD 344

$844 AED 3,098

-42.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,863 JOD 2,027

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-84.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.70 JOD 19.61

$67.0 AED 246

-58.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.79 JOD 30.29

$57.9 AED 213

-26.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.82 JOD 30.32

$102 AED 375

-58.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.0 JOD 49.53

$98.7 AED 363

-29.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$277 JOD 196

$2,393 AED 8,788

-88.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$211 JOD 149

$1,533 AED 5,630

-86.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$669 JOD 474

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-85.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$459 JOD 325

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-84.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,109 JOD 785

$7,046 AED 25.9K

-84.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$572 JOD 405

$4,222 AED 15.5K

-86.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$553 JOD 391

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-84.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.81

4.54

50.00%

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

Last update for Aqaba: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aqaba

$211 23.3%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 627% $1.3K

Groceries & Markets

Aqaba

$190 20.9%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 53.6% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aqaba

$174 19.2%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 126% $220

Eating Out

Aqaba

$155 17.1%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 96.3% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Aqaba

$86 9.5%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 57.5% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Aqaba

$82 9.1%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 77.7% $64

Getting Around

Aqaba

$7.4 * 0.8%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 1106% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $277 in Aqaba versus $2,393 in Dubai. 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 526% higher in Dubai, 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 $69.0 in Aqaba versus $82.0 in Dubai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $190 vs $292 – making Aqaba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇯🇴 Aqaba

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

08:47 8:47 AM

09:47 9:47 AM

1 h ahead of Aqaba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

140,000

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Jordanian Dinar JOD د.ا

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 JOD = 1.41 USD

1 JOD = 1.26 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to JOD – Jordanian Dinar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇯🇴 Jordanian Dinar (د.ا)

Jordanian Dinar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.708 JOD (1 JOD = 1.41 USD). 1 EUR = 0.796 JOD (1 JOD = 1.26 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to JOD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Aqaba Dubai 2,050 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Aqaba
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

Aqaba vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 219%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,360 per month in Aqaba and $4,344 in Dubai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $907 in Aqaba and $2,896 in Dubai. That's a gap of about 219%.

Kindergarten costs $486 per month in Aqaba and $844 in Dubai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Aqaba, where all-in costs run around $907, than in Dubai at $2,896. In Aqaba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Aqaba – 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 Aqaba. 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.