Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Az-zabadani and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Az-zabadani: $648 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $27,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Az-zabadani
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Az-zabadani Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Az-zabadani

🇸🇾 Syria

$648

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $648 per month in Az-zabadani vs $2,896 in Dubai, rent included.

Az-zabadani $648
Dubai $2,896

A couple spends around $1,023 per month in Az-zabadani vs $4,384 in Dubai, rent included.

Az-zabadani $1,023
Dubai $4,384

A family of three spends $1,397 per month in Az-zabadani vs $5,872 in Dubai, rent included.

Az-zabadani $1,397
Dubai $5,872

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

Az-zabadani sits 52% below the global median, while Dubai is 115% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.07 SYP 1,224

$12.67 AED 46.55

-20.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.10 SYP 5,116

$81.7 AED 300

-48.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 SYP 875

$9.34 AED 34.30

-22.91%

Cappuccino

$3.65 SYP 444

$5.89 AED 21.62

-38.03%

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

$2.31 SYP 281

$1.69 AED 6.20

36.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 SYP 108

$0.78 AED 2.86

14.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.98 SYP 240

$13.66 AED 50.2

-85.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 SYP 491

$13.49 AED 49.54

-70.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.10 SYP 134

$1.84 AED 6.78

-40.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.42 SYP 50.8

$1.50 AED 5.50

-72.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 SYP 191

$2.57 AED 9.45

-38.91%

Eggs

$1.63 SYP 198

$3.32 AED 12.18

-50.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.82 SYP 465

$12.60 AED 46.28

-69.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.63 SYP 684

$9.66 AED 35.46

-41.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.89 SYP 1,689

$12.78 AED 46.93

8.69%

Apples (1kg)

$1.07 SYP 130

$2.60 AED 9.54

-58.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 SYP 166

$1.90 AED 6.99

-27.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 SYP 140

$1.91 AED 7.02

-39.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.07 SYP 129

$1.37 AED 5.02

-21.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.78 SYP 95.0

$1.13 AED 4.14

-30.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 SYP 93.0

$1.01 AED 3.71

-23.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.40 SYP 49.17

$1.44 AED 5.30

-72.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 SYP 75.8

$0.67 AED 2.48

-7.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 SYP 345

$5.88 AED 21.59

-51.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.12 SYP 744

$16.15 AED 59.3

-62.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 SYP 129

$2.72 AED 10.00

-61.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 SYP 359

$3.08 AED 11.32

-4.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.02 SYP 123

$3.24 AED 11.91

-68.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.56 SYP 190

$0.71 AED 2.61

119.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.66 SYP 931

$7.96 AED 29.22

-3.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$3.71 SYP 450

$0.98 AED 3.62

278.57%

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

$14.7K SYP 1.8M

$27.4K AED 100.6K

-46.21%

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

$19.2K SYP 2.3M

$22.0K AED 80.9K

-12.98%

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

$142 SYP 17.2K

$249 AED 913

-42.91%

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

$9.50 SYP 1,154

$54.4 AED 200

-82.55%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.91 SYP 5,701

$91.5 AED 336

-48.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$5.60 SYP 681

$16.29 AED 59.8

-65.62%

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

$67.5 SYP 8,203

$844 AED 3,098

-92.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,751 SYP 212.8K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-90.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.20 SYP 3,427

$67.0 AED 246

-57.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.59 SYP 4,933

$57.9 AED 213

-29.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$59.6 SYP 7,245

$102 AED 375

-41.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.6 SYP 6,997

$98.7 AED 363

-41.67%

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 Az-zabadani: October 13, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Az-zabadani

$198 30.6%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 98.9% $196

Eating Out

Az-zabadani

$177 27.3%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 72.6% $128

Groceries & Markets

Az-zabadani

$169 26.1%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 72.4% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Az-zabadani

$84 12.9%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 75.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Az-zabadani

$11 * 1.7%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 1113% $125

Getting Around

Az-zabadani

$8.8 * 1.4%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 911% $80

Accommodation & Living

Az-zabadani

- * 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 Az-zabadani versus $82.0 in Dubai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $169 vs $292 – making Az-zabadani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇸🇾 Az-zabadani

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

16:35 4:35 PM

17:35 5:35 PM

1 h ahead of Az-zabadani

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,285

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

Az-zabadani Dubai 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Az-zabadani
Dubai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated March 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Az-zabadani vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai costs about 347% more than Az-zabadani, 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 $972 per month in Az-zabadani 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 Az-zabadani 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 72% 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 $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Az-zabadani, where all-in costs run around $648, than in Dubai at $2,896. In Az-zabadani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Az-zabadani costs $648 versus $2,896 in Dubai. 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 Az-zabadani. 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.