Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bandung and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandung: $641 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $26,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Bandung
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Bandung Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Bandung

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$641

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $641 in Bandung versus $2,854 in Dubai.

Bandung $641
Dubai $2,854

Estimated couple costs with rent: $947 in Bandung versus $4,321 in Dubai.

Bandung $947
Dubai $4,321

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,252 in Bandung versus $5,788 in Dubai.

Bandung $1,252
Dubai $5,788

Living in Bandung costs roughly 78% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bandung is 52% below, Dubai is 113% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.42 Rp 25.4K

$13.04 AED 47.89

-89.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.13 Rp 252.5K

$81.4 AED 299

-82.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$3.31 Rp 59.1K

$9.32 AED 34.25

-64.48%

Cappuccino

$1.48 Rp 26.5K

$5.97 AED 21.93

-75.21%

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

$0.47 Rp 8,397

$1.63 AED 5.98

-71.17%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 Rp 3,921

$0.81 AED 2.99

-72.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.09 Rp 55.1K

$13.65 AED 50.1

-77.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 Rp 53.5K

$13.38 AED 49.15

-77.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 Rp 20.1K

$1.81 AED 6.64

-37.57%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 Rp 17.7K

$1.57 AED 5.78

-36.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 Rp 15.7K

$2.49 AED 9.16

-64.66%

Eggs

$1.47 Rp 26.3K

$3.28 AED 12.04

-55.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.36 Rp 131.6K

$12.67 AED 46.53

-41.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.81 Rp 50.3K

$9.75 AED 35.80

-71.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.75 Rp 138.6K

$13.18 AED 48.40

-41.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 Rp 39.1K

$2.61 AED 9.57

-16.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 Rp 19.1K

$1.93 AED 7.09

-44.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.50 Rp 26.8K

$1.92 AED 7.05

-21.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.96 Rp 17.1K

$1.36 AED 5.00

-29.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 Rp 19.6K

$1.17 AED 4.29

-5.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.95 Rp 34.8K

$1.01 AED 3.71

93.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 Rp 12.5K

$1.51 AED 5.56

-53.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 Rp 7,728

$0.62 AED 2.29

-30.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.62 Rp 46.9K

$5.85 AED 21.50

-55.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$22.77 Rp 407.0K

$16.14 AED 59.3

41.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 Rp 32.6K

$2.65 AED 9.74

-31.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 Rp 56.8K

$2.95 AED 10.82

7.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 Rp 4,788

$1.64 AED 6.03

-83.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$9.61 Rp 171.7K

$73.6 AED 270

-86.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.86 Rp 15.3K

$3.17 AED 11.66

-72.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.55 Rp 9,771

$0.71 AED 2.63

-22.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.23 Rp 39.8K

$7.96 AED 29.23

-71.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.90 Rp 16.1K

$0.99 AED 3.64

-9.09%

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

$21.1K Rp 376.3M

$27.4K AED 100.5K

-23.09%

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

$29.2K Rp 522.8M

$22.5K AED 82.8K

29.75%

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

$33.58 Rp 600.2K

$250 AED 920

-86.59%

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

$4.25 Rp 75.9K

$54.2 AED 199

-92.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.25 Rp 344.1K

$91.8 AED 337

-79.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.05 Rp 322.6K

$98.6 AED 362

-81.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.00 Rp 107.3K

$42.61 AED 156

-85.92%

Cinema Ticket

$2.84 Rp 50.8K

$16.03 AED 58.9

-82.28%

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

$95.7 Rp 1.7M

$843 AED 3,098

-88.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,240 Rp 147.3M

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-54.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.08 Rp 698.5K

$68.0 AED 250

-42.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.18 Rp 575.3K

$57.9 AED 213

-44.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.5 Rp 1.4M

$101 AED 370

-23.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.5 Rp 1.2M

$101 AED 371

-31.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$214 Rp 3.8M

$2,380 AED 8,741

-90.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$178 Rp 3.2M

$1,506 AED 5,531

-88.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$381 Rp 6.8M

$4,437 AED 16.3K

-91.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 Rp 4.8M

$3,010 AED 11.1K

-91.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$725 Rp 13.0M

$7,121 AED 26.2K

-89.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$312 Rp 5.6M

$4,135 AED 15.2K

-92.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$281 Rp 5.0M

$3,391 AED 12.5K

-91.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.38

4.54

150.66%

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

Last update for Bandung: October 5, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bandung

$194 30.9%

Dubai

$293 10.2% 50.7% $98

Accommodation & Living

Bandung

$178 28.4%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5% 744% $1.3K

Clothing & Footwear

Bandung

$98 15.6%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 50.7% $50

Eating Out

Bandung

$63 10.1%

Dubai

$309 10.8% 388% $245

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bandung

$57 9.1%

Dubai

$396 13.8% 595% $339

Sport & Entertainment

Bandung

$24 3.8%

Dubai

$131 4.6% 451% $107

Getting Around

Bandung

$14 2.3%

Dubai

$87 3% 509% $73

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $214 in Bandung and $2,380 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 1105% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $14.00 in Bandung vs $81.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $194 vs $293 per month, with Bandung cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇩 Bandung

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

13:28 1:28 PM

10:28 10:28 AM

3 h behind Bandung

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,390,120

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to IDR – Indonesian Rupiah Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇮🇩 Indonesian Rupiah (Rp)

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 17,875 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.59 USD). 1 EUR = 20,048 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.99 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to IDR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bandung Dubai 6,690 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bandung
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

Bandung vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bandung wins on cost – living expenses run 345% lower than in Dubai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Bandung the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 1105% lower in Dubai. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $214 in Bandung versus $2,380 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 51% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Bandung – a meal for two runs $14.00 versus $81.0 in Dubai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $641 in Bandung versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bandung but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Bandung the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Bandung delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $641 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Bandung hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Bandung and Dubai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Bandung gentler on the wallet – expenses run 345% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.