Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arusha and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Arusha: $549 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $28,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

10

Cost of Living Index in Arusha
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Arusha Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Arusha

🇹🇿 Tanzania

$549

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $549 per month in Arusha vs $2,896 in Dubai, rent included.

Arusha $549
Dubai $2,896

A couple spends around $888 per month in Arusha vs $4,384 in Dubai, rent included.

Arusha $888
Dubai $4,384

A family of three spends $1,228 per month in Arusha vs $5,872 in Dubai, rent included.

Arusha $1,228
Dubai $5,872

Arusha is about 81% cheaper than Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Arusha sits 59% below the global median, while Dubai is 115% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.33 TZS 8,740

$12.67 AED 46.55

-73.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.39 TZS 71.9K

$81.7 AED 300

-66.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 TZS 23.9K

$9.34 AED 34.30

-2.36%

Cappuccino

$1.70 TZS 4,451

$5.89 AED 21.62

-71.14%

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

$0.92 TZS 2,426

$1.69 AED 6.20

-45.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.32 TZS 852

$0.78 AED 2.86

-58.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 TZS 2,658

$13.66 AED 50.2

-92.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 TZS 7,350

$13.49 AED 49.54

-79.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 TZS 2,527

$1.84 AED 6.78

-47.83%

White Bread (500g)

$0.69 TZS 1,802

$1.50 AED 5.50

-54.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 TZS 4,563

$2.57 AED 9.45

-32.30%

Eggs

$1.75 TZS 4,581

$3.32 AED 12.18

-47.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 TZS 5,813

$2.60 AED 9.54

-14.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 TZS 2,025

$1.37 AED 5.02

-43.80%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 TZS 1,275

$1.13 AED 4.14

-56.64%

Onion (1kg)

$1.03 TZS 2,691

$1.01 AED 3.71

1.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 TZS 2,233

$0.67 AED 2.48

26.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.53 TZS 4,022

$5.88 AED 21.59

-73.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 TZS 2,448

$2.72 AED 10.00

-65.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 TZS 2,421

$3.08 AED 11.32

-70.13%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 TZS 504

$1.60 AED 5.87

-88.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.64 TZS 20.1K

$7.96 AED 29.22

-4.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 TZS 3,265

$0.98 AED 3.62

26.53%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

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

$28.61 TZS 75.1K

$249 AED 913

-88.49%

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

$8.60 TZS 22.6K

$54.4 AED 200

-84.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.62 TZS 122.3K

$91.5 AED 336

-49.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.4 TZS 171.7K

$103 AED 380

-36.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$4.69 TZS 12.3K

$16.29 AED 59.8

-71.21%

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

$844 AED 3,098

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,710 TZS 20.2M

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-57.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$285 TZS 749.0K

$2,393 AED 8,788

-88.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 TZS 612.9K

$1,533 AED 5,630

-84.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$491 TZS 1.3M

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-89.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$525 TZS 1.4M

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-82.13%

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 %)

4.54

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

Last update for Arusha: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arusha

$234 42.6%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 556% $1.3K

Eating Out

Arusha

$90 16.4%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 239% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arusha

$84 15.3%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 371% $311

Sport & Entertainment

Arusha

$75 13.6%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 81.8% $61

Groceries & Markets

Arusha

$66 * 12%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 345% $226

Getting Around

Arusha

$0.8 * 0.1%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 11475% $88

Clothing & Footwear

Arusha

- * 0%

Dubai

$147 5.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $285 in Arusha 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Arusha versus $82.0 in Dubai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $66.0 vs $292 – making Arusha the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇿 Arusha

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

13:58 1:58 PM

14:58 2:58 PM

1 h ahead of Arusha

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

617,631

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Tanzanian Shilling TZS Sh

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD

10,000 TZS = 3.39 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to TZS – Tanzanian Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇿 Tanzanian Shilling (Sh)

Tanzanian Shilling exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 2,624 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.81 USD). 1 EUR = 2,950 TZS (10,000 TZS = 3.39 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 TZS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arusha Dubai 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Arusha
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

Arusha vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $549 in Arusha, $2,896 in Dubai – roughly 428% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $823 per month in Arusha 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 Arusha, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27.00 in Arusha and $82.0 in Dubai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $549 in Arusha and $2,896 in Dubai. That's a gap of about 428%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Arusha, where all-in costs run around $549, than in Dubai at $2,896. In Arusha it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dubai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $549 in Arusha to $2,896 in Dubai. 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 Arusha. 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.