Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Benoni and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Benoni: $1,072 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Benoni
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Benoni Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Benoni

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,072

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,072 in Benoni versus $2,896 in Dubai.

Benoni $1,072
Dubai $2,896

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,331 in Benoni versus $4,384 in Dubai.

Benoni $1,331
Dubai $4,384

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,589 in Benoni versus $5,872 in Dubai.

Benoni $1,589
Dubai $5,872

Living in Benoni costs roughly 63% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Benoni is 21% below, Dubai is 115% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.19 R 168

$12.67 AED 46.55

-19.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.46 R 617

$81.7 AED 300

-54.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.86 R 96.5

$9.34 AED 34.30

-37.26%

Cappuccino

$2.22 R 36.61

$5.89 AED 21.62

-62.31%

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

$1.19 R 19.64

$1.69 AED 6.20

-29.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.85 R 14.00

$0.78 AED 2.86

8.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 R 38.33

$13.66 AED 50.2

-82.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.74 R 45.15

$13.49 AED 49.54

-79.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.22 R 20.16

$1.84 AED 6.78

-33.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.65

$1.50 AED 5.50

-24.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 R 28.33

$2.57 AED 9.45

-33.07%

Eggs

$2.46 R 40.48

$3.32 AED 12.18

-25.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.31 R 137

$12.60 AED 46.28

-34.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 R 80.1

$9.66 AED 35.46

-49.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.12 R 117

$12.78 AED 46.93

-44.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.55

$2.60 AED 9.54

-33.46%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 R 26.81

$1.90 AED 6.99

-14.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.80 R 29.58

$1.91 AED 7.02

-5.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.70

$1.37 AED 5.02

13.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R 18.39

$1.13 AED 4.14

-0.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 R 20.10

$1.01 AED 3.71

20.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.29

$1.44 AED 5.30

-14.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 R 20.97

$0.67 AED 2.48

89.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 R 55.5

$5.88 AED 21.59

-42.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.09 R 83.8

$16.15 AED 59.3

-68.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 R 24.94

$2.72 AED 10.00

-44.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R 32.14

$3.08 AED 11.32

-36.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.72

$3.24 AED 11.91

-91.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 R 14.67

$0.71 AED 2.61

25.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.73 R 243

$7.96 AED 29.22

85.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.54 R 25.41

$0.98 AED 3.62

57.14%

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

$35.1K R 578.8K

$27.4K AED 100.6K

28.28%

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

$32.5K R 534.9K

$22.0K AED 80.9K

47.38%

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

$203 R 3,342

$249 AED 913

-18.37%

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

$38.42 R 633

$54.4 AED 200

-29.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$36.63 R 604

$91.5 AED 336

-59.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.06 R 297

$103 AED 380

-82.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$7.10 R 117

$16.29 AED 59.8

-56.41%

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

$246 R 4,051

$844 AED 3,098

-70.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,577 R 91.9K

$18.3K AED 67.1K

-69.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 R 882

$67.0 AED 246

-20.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.40 R 534

$57.9 AED 213

-44.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.9 R 1,515

$102 AED 375

-9.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.8 R 1,397

$98.7 AED 363

-14.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,557

$2,393 AED 8,788

-83.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$296 R 4,881

$1,533 AED 5,630

-80.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$487 R 8,029

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-89.39%

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)

$2,041 R 33.6K

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-41.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.91

4.54

140.31%

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

Last update for Benoni: October 11, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Benoni

$296 27.6%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 417% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Benoni

$278 25.9%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 41.9% $117

Groceries & Markets

Benoni

$192 17.9%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 52% $100

Eating Out

Benoni

$151 14.1%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 102% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Benoni

$118 11%

Dubai

$147 5.1% 24% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Benoni

$32 3%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 321% $104

Getting Around

Benoni

$4.7 * 0.4%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 1780% $84

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $398 in Benoni and $2,393 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 70% 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: $37.00 in Benoni vs $82.0 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $192 vs $292 per month, with Benoni cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Benoni

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

09:04 9:04 AM

11:04 11:04 AM

2 h ahead of Benoni

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

158,777

3,790,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Benoni Dubai 6,390 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Benoni
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

Benoni vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Benoni and Dubai differ by about 170% in total monthly costs ($1,072 vs $2,896 including rent). Benoni is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 70% 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: $398 in Benoni versus $2,393 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $1,072 per month in Benoni versus $2,896 in Dubai – a 170% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,072 in Benoni versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Benoni but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Benoni the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Benoni 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 Benoni gentler on the wallet – expenses run 170% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.