Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benidorm and Al Ain

For one person, living is cheaper in Benidorm: $1,707 a month against $1,804 in Al Ain, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. The total is higher in Al Ain despite lower rent and utilities.

82

Cost of Living Index in Benidorm
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Benidorm Living Index
87

Cost of Living Index in Al Ain
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Al Ain Living Index

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Benidorm

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,707

/mo nomad

Al Ain

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Benidorm and in Al Ain

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Benidorm and in Al Ain actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,707 per month in Benidorm vs $1,804 in Al Ain, rent included.

Benidorm $1,707
Al Ain $1,804

A couple spends around $2,498 per month in Benidorm vs $2,558 in Al Ain, rent included.

Benidorm $2,498
Al Ain $2,558

A family of three spends $3,290 per month in Benidorm vs $3,312 in Al Ain, rent included.

Benidorm $3,290
Al Ain $3,312

Benidorm is about 5% cheaper than Al Ain, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Benidorm and Al Ain sit above the global median – Benidorm by 25%, Al Ain by 33%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.28 €15.52

$8.33 AED 30.59

107.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.9 €47.56

$53.5 AED 197

-1.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.28 €11.03

$8.57 AED 31.47

43.29%

Cappuccino

$2.32 €2.08

$4.74 AED 17.41

-51.05%

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

$2.29 €2.06

$0.73 AED 2.70

213.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 €1.06

$0.33 AED 1.20

257.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.41 €3.06

$8.23 AED 30.24

-58.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 €3.30

$6.61 AED 24.26

-44.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.84 AED 6.75

-38.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.30 €1.17

$1.58 AED 5.80

-17.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$2.20 AED 8.09

-35.91%

Eggs

$3.50 €3.14

$2.78 AED 10.22

25.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.98 €9.86

$9.55 AED 35.09

14.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.10 €7.27

$10.13 AED 37.19

-20.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.68 €14.08

$8.88 AED 32.60

76.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 €1.89

$2.51 AED 9.21

-16.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 €1.64

$1.98 AED 7.26

-7.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.88 AED 6.90

2.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.66 €2.39

$1.53 AED 5.62

73.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.17 AED 4.31

47.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.15 AED 4.23

53.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.84 AED 3.07

30.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 €0.39

$0.51 AED 1.89

-13.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.96 €5.35

$6.21 AED 22.79

-4.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 €5.14

$12.49 AED 45.86

-54.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 €0.78

$2.57 AED 9.43

-66.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.85

$2.49 AED 9.15

-62.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 AED 2.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.05 AED 95.7

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.50 €4.04

$2.36 AED 8.67

90.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 €1.21

$0.56 AED 2.07

141.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.26 €21.80

$8.11 AED 29.80

199.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.54

$0.93 AED 3.42

84.95%

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

$34.2K €30.7K

$25.6K AED 94.0K

33.52%

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

$29.3K €26.3K

$21.5K AED 79.0K

36.16%

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

$157 €141

$113 AED 416

38.61%

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

$16.38 €14.71

$48.02 AED 176

-65.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.55 €20.26

$91.8 AED 337

-75.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 AED 207

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.38 AED 101

Cinema Ticket

$10.78 €9.69

$13.81 AED 50.7

-21.94%

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

$575 €517

$849 AED 3,120

-32.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,688 €8,703

$7,464 AED 27.4K

29.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.2 €81.9

$43.83 AED 161

107.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.40 €38.09

$49.40 AED 181

-14.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 €86.4

$71.1 AED 261

35.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 €106

$103 AED 378

15.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,002 €900

$876 AED 3,218

14.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$838 €752

$847 AED 3,111

-1.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,766 €1,586

$1,665 AED 6,114

6.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,324 €1,189

$1,220 AED 4,479

8.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,197 €4,669

$2,645 AED 9,714

96.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,542 €2,284

$1,548 AED 5,687

64.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,785 €1,603

$2,670 AED 9,806

-33.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

4.55

-27.47%

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

Last update for Benidorm: October 25, 2026

Last update for Al Ain: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Benidorm

$838 49.1%

Al Ain

$847 47% 1.1% $9.6

Groceries & Markets

Benidorm

$243 14.2%

Al Ain

$258 14.3% 6.1% $15

Eating Out

Benidorm

$241 14.1%

Al Ain

$208 11.5% 13.8% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benidorm

$196 11.5%

Al Ain

$253 14% 29.2% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Benidorm

$157 9.2%

Al Ain

$120 6.7% 23.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Benidorm

$22 * 1.3%

Al Ain

$84 4.7% 290% $63

Getting Around

Benidorm

$11 * 0.7%

Al Ain

$34 1.9% 200% $22

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,002 in Benidorm versus $876 in Al Ain. 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 50% higher in Al Ain. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $53 in Benidorm versus $54 in Al Ain. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $258 – making Benidorm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇸 Benidorm

🇦🇪 Al Ain

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

02:47 2:47 AM

3 h ahead of Benidorm

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

72,342

631,005

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Benidorm Al Ain 5,450 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Benidorm
Al Ain

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

Benidorm vs Al Ain: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Ain costs about 6% more than Benidorm, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from utilities. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,561 per month in Benidorm and $2,706 in Al Ain. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Ain, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $876 there versus $1,002 in Benidorm.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,707 in Benidorm and $1,804 in Al Ain. That makes Benidorm about 5% cheaper.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Al Ain, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$2,500 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $1,707 in Benidorm and $1,804 in Al Ain, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Benidorm. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Al Ain makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.