Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bentota and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $777 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Bentota
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Bentota Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$777

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $777 in Bentota versus $2,889 in Dubai.

Bentota $777
Dubai $2,889

Estimated couple costs with rent: $896 in Bentota versus $4,444 in Dubai.

Bentota $896
Dubai $4,444

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,014 in Bentota versus $5,999 in Dubai.

Bentota $1,014
Dubai $5,999

Living in Bentota costs roughly 73% less than in Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Bentota is 42% below, Dubai is 114% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.78 LKR 1,257

$12.94 AED 47.54

-70.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$12.00 LKR 3,991

$83.2 AED 306

-85.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.36 LKR 2,446

$9.35 AED 34.32

-21.28%

Cappuccino

$2.47 LKR 822

$5.88 AED 21.60

-57.99%

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

$0.71 LKR 236

$1.57 AED 5.77

-54.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 83.0

$0.94 AED 3.47

-73.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 LKR 728

$13.44 AED 49.38

-83.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 LKR 1,030

$13.57 AED 49.84

-77.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 LKR 523

$1.86 AED 6.83

-15.59%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 LKR 174

$1.56 AED 5.73

-66.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 267

$2.64 AED 9.68

-69.70%

Eggs

$1.65 LKR 549

$3.53 AED 12.96

-53.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.18 LKR 5,047

$12.97 AED 47.62

17.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.36 LKR 1,118

$9.94 AED 36.51

-66.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.47 LKR 1,487

$12.92 AED 47.45

-65.40%

Apples (1kg)

$6.76 LKR 2,246

$2.55 AED 9.36

165.10%

Banana (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 254

$2.05 AED 7.54

-62.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 LKR 1,355

$1.84 AED 6.77

121.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.86 LKR 287

$1.54 AED 5.64

-44.16%

Potato (1kg)

$1.07 LKR 357

$1.17 AED 4.31

-8.55%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 274

$1.02 AED 3.76

-19.61%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 LKR 402

$1.57 AED 5.75

-22.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 139

$0.67 AED 2.46

-37.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.06 LKR 3,346

$6.31 AED 23.17

59.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.69 LKR 4,552

$16.16 AED 59.4

-15.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 LKR 630

$2.58 AED 9.48

-26.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 LKR 956

$2.89 AED 10.60

-0.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.19 LKR 62.4

$1.40 AED 5.15

-86.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 126

$3.29 AED 12.07

-88.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 LKR 96.3

$0.65 AED 2.40

-55.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.93 LKR 308

$8.13 AED 29.84

-88.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 LKR 461

$1.00 AED 3.68

39.00%

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

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

$26.3K AED 96.6K

67.49%

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

$45.0K LKR 15.0M

$22.0K AED 81.0K

104.06%

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

$57.4 LKR 19.1K

$239 AED 877

-75.99%

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

$2.32 LKR 770

$56.9 AED 209

-95.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.88 LKR 2,951

$93.9 AED 345

-90.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

Cinema Ticket

$4.59 LKR 1,525

$16.24 AED 59.6

-71.74%

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

$40.65 LKR 13.5K

$934 AED 3,429

-95.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.4K LKR 5.8M

$20.9K AED 76.8K

-16.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.34 LKR 6,099

$70.7 AED 260

-74.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.33 LKR 5,761

$61.3 AED 225

-71.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

$103 AED 377

-24.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.51 LKR 13.8K

$116 AED 426

-64.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$546 LKR 181.6K

$2,487 AED 9,134

-78.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 LKR 100.3K

$1,520 AED 5,581

-80.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

4.57

173.52%

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

Last update for Bentota: October 31, 2026

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bentota

$302 38.8%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6% 404% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Bentota

$223 28.7%

Dubai

$297 10.3% 33.4% $74

Eating Out

Bentota

$103 13.2%

Dubai

$307 10.6% 198% $204

Clothing & Footwear

Bentota

$70 9%

Dubai

$158 5.5% 127% $88

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bentota

$69 8.8%

Dubai

$390 13.5% 469% $321

Sport & Entertainment

Bentota

$9.2 * 1.2%

Dubai

$123 4.3% 1245% $114

Getting Around

Bentota

$2.6 * 0.3%

Dubai

$95 3.3% 3566% $92

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 $546 in Bentota and $2,487 in Dubai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $12 in Bentota vs $83 in Dubai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $223 vs $297 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Bentota

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

03:20 3:20 AM

01:50 1:50 AM

1 h 30 min behind Bentota

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,000

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bentota Dubai 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Bentota
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

Bentota vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bentota is about 73% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,166 in Bentota and $4,333 in Dubai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $546 in Bentota versus $2,487 in Dubai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $777 per month in Bentota versus $2,889 in Dubai – Bentota is about 73% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $777 in Bentota versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bentota but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Bentota 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.