Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dahab and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Dahab: $453 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $29,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Dahab
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Dahab Living Index
140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Dahab

🇪🇬 Egypt

$453

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $453 per month in Dahab vs $2,896 in Dubai, rent included.

Dahab $453
Dubai $2,896

A couple spends around $755 per month in Dahab vs $4,384 in Dubai, rent included.

Dahab $755
Dubai $4,384

A family of three spends $1,057 per month in Dahab vs $5,872 in Dubai, rent included.

Dahab $1,057
Dubai $5,872

Dahab is about 84% cheaper than Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dahab sits 66% below the global median, while Dubai is 115% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.70 E£198

$12.67 AED 46.55

-70.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.14 E£702

$81.7 AED 300

-83.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.64 E£248

$9.34 AED 34.30

-50.32%

Cappuccino

$1.58 E£84.3

$5.89 AED 21.62

-73.17%

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

$0.46 E£24.50

$1.69 AED 6.20

-72.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 E£14.50

$0.78 AED 2.86

-65.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.95 E£104

$13.66 AED 50.2

-85.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 E£125

$13.49 AED 49.54

-82.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.97 E£52.0

$1.84 AED 6.78

-47.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 E£60.0

$1.50 AED 5.50

-25.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.73 E£38.75

$2.57 AED 9.45

-71.60%

Eggs

$1.35 E£72.0

$3.32 AED 12.18

-59.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.63 E£568

$12.60 AED 46.28

-15.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.88 E£207

$9.66 AED 35.46

-59.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.65 E£569

$12.78 AED 46.93

-16.67%

Apples (1kg)

$2.33 E£124

$2.60 AED 9.54

-10.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 E£77.4

$1.90 AED 6.99

-23.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.63 E£33.55

$1.91 AED 7.02

-67.02%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.39

$1.37 AED 5.02

-56.93%

Potato (1kg)

$0.55 E£29.14

$1.13 AED 4.14

-51.33%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 E£31.72

$1.01 AED 3.71

-41.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 E£47.16

$1.44 AED 5.30

-38.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.20 E£10.58

$0.67 AED 2.48

-70.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.50 E£80.0

$5.88 AED 21.59

-74.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.79 E£363

$16.15 AED 59.3

-57.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 E£84.5

$2.72 AED 10.00

-41.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 E£11.08

$1.60 AED 5.87

-86.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.56 E£404

$76.0 AED 279

-90.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.77 E£41.30

$3.24 AED 11.91

-76.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.43 E£23.13

$0.98 AED 3.62

-56.12%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

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

$17.85 E£953

$249 AED 913

-92.82%

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

$6.84 E£365

$54.4 AED 200

-87.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.89 E£955

$91.5 AED 336

-80.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$15.01 E£801

$103 AED 380

-85.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.54 E£509

$42.32 AED 155

-77.46%

Cinema Ticket

$4.80 E£257

$16.29 AED 59.8

-70.53%

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

$844 AED 3,098

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$187 E£9,988

$2,393 AED 8,788

-92.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$129 E£6,868

$1,533 AED 5,630

-91.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 E£28.2K

$4,594 AED 16.9K

-88.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$316 E£16.9K

$2,939 AED 10.8K

-89.26%

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)

$131 E£6,973

$3,461 AED 12.7K

-96.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

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

Last update for Dahab: October 12, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dahab

$169 * 37.2%

Dubai

$292 10.1% 73% $123

Accommodation & Living

Dahab

$129 28.4%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9% 1092% $1.4K

Eating Out

Dahab

$80 17.6%

Dubai

$305 10.5% 282% $225

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dahab

$43 9.4%

Dubai

$394 13.6% 826% $352

Sport & Entertainment

Dahab

$25 5.4%

Dubai

$136 4.7% 453% $111

Getting Around

Dahab

$9.2 * 2%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 873% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Dahab

- * 0%

Dubai

$147 5.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $187 in Dahab versus $2,393 in Dubai. 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 2550% higher in Dubai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Dahab versus $82.0 in Dubai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $169 vs $292 – making Dahab the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇪🇬 Dahab

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

10:20 10:20 AM

11:20 11:20 AM

1 h ahead of Dahab

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,000

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Egyptian Pound EGP £

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇬 Egyptian Pound (£)

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 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 EGP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dahab Dubai 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Dahab
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

Dahab vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 539%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $680 per month in Dahab and $4,344 in Dubai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dahab, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $453 in Dahab and $2,896 in Dubai. That's a gap of about 539%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13.00 in Dahab and $82.0 in Dubai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Dahab, where all-in costs run around $453, than in Dubai at $2,896. In Dahab it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dahab – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Dahab. 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.