Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arbon and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubai: $2,896 a month against $3,464 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

167

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,464

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $3,464 per month in Arbon vs $2,896 in Dubai, rent included.

Arbon $3,464
Dubai $2,896

A couple spends around $5,192 per month in Arbon vs $4,384 in Dubai, rent included.

Arbon $5,192
Dubai $4,384

A family of three spends $6,920 per month in Arbon vs $5,872 in Dubai, rent included.

Arbon $6,920
Dubai $5,872

Arbon costs about 20% more than Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Arbon and Dubai sit above the global median – Arbon by 157%, Dubai by 115%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.53 CHF 24.33

$12.67 AED 46.55

133.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$144 CHF 118

$81.7 AED 300

75.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$18.95 CHF 15.61

$9.34 AED 34.30

102.89%

Cappuccino

$6.11 CHF 5.03

$5.89 AED 21.62

3.74%

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

$5.74 CHF 4.73

$1.69 AED 6.20

239.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.09 CHF 4.19

$0.78 AED 2.86

552.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$9.00 CHF 7.42

$13.66 AED 50.2

-34.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.17 CHF 5.08

$13.49 AED 49.54

-54.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.16 CHF 1.78

$1.84 AED 6.78

17.39%

White Bread (500g)

$3.15 CHF 2.60

$1.50 AED 5.50

110.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.79 CHF 3.12

$2.57 AED 9.45

47.47%

Eggs

$7.88 CHF 6.49

$3.32 AED 12.18

137.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$25.14 CHF 20.71

$12.60 AED 46.28

99.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$28.42 CHF 23.41

$9.66 AED 35.46

194.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$41.09 CHF 33.84

$12.78 AED 46.93

221.52%

Apples (1kg)

$3.42 CHF 2.82

$2.60 AED 9.54

31.54%

Banana (1kg)

$2.00 CHF 1.65

$1.90 AED 6.99

5.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 CHF 1.97

$1.91 AED 7.02

25.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.28 CHF 4.35

$1.37 AED 5.02

285.40%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 CHF 1.68

$1.13 AED 4.14

80.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 CHF 1.80

$1.01 AED 3.71

116.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.28 CHF 1.88

$1.44 AED 5.30

58.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 CHF 1.01

$0.67 AED 2.48

82.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.64 CHF 8.77

$5.88 AED 21.59

80.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.47 CHF 13.57

$16.15 AED 59.3

1.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.12 CHF 1.75

$2.72 AED 10.00

-22.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 CHF 1.85

$3.08 AED 11.32

-26.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.81 CHF 3.96

$1.60 AED 5.87

200.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$96.0 CHF 79.1

$76.0 AED 279

26.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.50 CHF 5.35

$3.24 AED 11.91

100.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$4.73 CHF 3.89

$0.71 AED 2.61

566.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.17 CHF 29.79

$7.96 AED 29.22

354.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 CHF 1.89

$0.98 AED 3.62

133.67%

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

$34.5K CHF 28.4K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

25.80%

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

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

78.33%

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

$275 CHF 227

$249 AED 913

10.82%

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

$38.11 CHF 31.39

$54.4 AED 200

-29.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 CHF 44.78

$91.5 AED 336

-40.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.0 CHF 74.1

$103 AED 380

-12.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$39.06 CHF 32.17

$42.32 AED 155

-7.70%

Cinema Ticket

$23.43 CHF 19.29

$16.29 AED 59.8

43.83%

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

$2,250 CHF 1,853

$844 AED 3,098

166.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$31.3K CHF 25.8K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

71.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 CHF 118

$67.0 AED 246

113.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$65.1 CHF 53.6

$57.9 AED 213

12.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$143 CHF 118

$102 AED 375

40.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$177 CHF 146

$98.7 AED 363

79.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,561 CHF 1,286

$2,393 AED 8,788

-34.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,521 CHF 1,253

$1,533 AED 5,630

-0.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,904 CHF 2,392

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-36.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,322 CHF 1,912

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-21.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.9K CHF 11.5K

$7,046 AED 25.9K

97.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

$4,222 AED 15.5K

223.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$11.1K CHF 9,124

$3,461 AED 12.7K

220.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

1.9

4.54

-58.15%

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

Last update for Arbon: 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

Arbon

$1.5K 43.9%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 0.8% $12

Groceries & Markets

Arbon

$588 17%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 50.4% $296

Eating Out

Arbon

$467 13.5%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 34.7% $162

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arbon

$368 10.6%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 7.2% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Arbon

$238 6.9%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 38.4% $91

Getting Around

Arbon

$145 4.2%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 38.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Arbon

$137 4%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 0.7% $0.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,561 in Arbon 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 220% higher in Arbon, 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 $144 in Arbon versus $82.0 in Dubai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $588 vs $292 – making Dubai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇭 Arbon

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

11:58 11:58 AM

13:58 1:58 PM

2 h ahead of Arbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,853

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇭 Swiss Franc (Fr)

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to CHF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arbon Dubai 4,710 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Arbon
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

Arbon vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $3,464 in Arbon, $2,896 in Dubai – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,197 per month in Arbon 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 Dubai, 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 $3,464 in Arbon and $2,896 in Dubai. That's a gap of about 20%.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Dubai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,464 in Arbon and $2,896 in Dubai. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Dubai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,896 in Dubai to $3,464 in Arbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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