Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Deva and Dubai

For one person, living is cheaper in Deva: $862 a month against $2,883 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $24,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Deva
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Deva Living Index
139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index

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Deva

🇷🇴 Romania

$862

/mo nomad

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $862 per month in Deva vs $2,883 in Dubai, rent included.

Deva $862
Dubai $2,883

A couple spends around $1,338 per month in Deva vs $4,403 in Dubai, rent included.

Deva $1,338
Dubai $4,403

A family of three spends $1,814 per month in Deva vs $5,923 in Dubai, rent included.

Deva $1,814
Dubai $5,923

Deva is about 70% cheaper than Dubai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Deva sits 36% below the global median, while Dubai is 113% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.81 RON 32.20

$12.99 AED 47.72

-47.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$21.08 RON 99.7

$81.9 AED 301

-74.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.28 RON 34.46

$9.64 AED 35.40

-24.48%

Cappuccino

$1.71 RON 8.10

$6.09 AED 22.38

-71.92%

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

$2.09 RON 9.89

$1.61 AED 5.93

29.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.68

$0.75 AED 2.76

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.29 RON 6.13

$13.79 AED 50.6

-90.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 RON 9.90

$13.41 AED 49.25

-84.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 RON 7.39

$1.86 AED 6.83

-16.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.27 RON 6.03

$1.53 AED 5.62

-16.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 RON 5.21

$2.55 AED 9.38

-56.86%

Eggs

$3.18 RON 15.03

$3.28 AED 12.06

-3.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.80 RON 36.91

$12.14 AED 44.57

-35.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.29 RON 25.05

$9.15 AED 33.62

-42.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.12 RON 38.42

$12.80 AED 47.00

-36.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 RON 6.49

$2.56 AED 9.39

-46.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.52

$1.91 AED 7.03

-27.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 RON 7.23

$1.82 AED 6.69

-15.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 RON 10.05

$1.43 AED 5.26

48.25%

Potato (1kg)

$0.71 RON 3.37

$1.10 AED 4.04

-35.45%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 RON 4.54

$0.92 AED 3.40

4.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.85 RON 4.04

$1.52 AED 5.58

-44.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 RON 4.05

$0.69 AED 2.54

24.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 RON 25.26

$6.41 AED 23.55

-16.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.39 RON 34.98

$16.52 AED 60.7

-55.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$2.56 AED 9.41

-58.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RON 8.28

$3.08 AED 11.32

-43.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 RON 2.67

$1.58 AED 5.82

-63.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.18 RON 152

$75.9 AED 279

-57.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 RON 3.74

$3.19 AED 11.72

-75.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 RON 3.12

$0.71 AED 2.62

-7.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.58 RON 40.59

$8.21 AED 30.13

4.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.68

$1.01 AED 3.73

60.40%

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

$28.8K RON 136.1K

$26.1K AED 96.0K

10.03%

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

$24.7K RON 116.8K

$21.8K AED 80.2K

13.03%

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

$133 RON 631

$245 AED 900

-45.54%

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

$8.71 RON 41.23

$57.5 AED 211

-84.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.54 RON 45.15

$91.3 AED 335

-89.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.18 RON 185

$105 AED 385

-62.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$53.0 RON 251

$46.58 AED 171

13.83%

Cinema Ticket

$6.28 RON 29.70

$16.04 AED 58.9

-60.85%

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

$577 RON 2,731

$873 AED 3,206

-33.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,789 RON 46.3K

$18.0K AED 66.2K

-45.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.0 RON 326

$70.8 AED 260

-2.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.86 RON 212

$62.3 AED 229

-28.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 RON 402

$106 AED 390

-19.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.1 RON 351

$102 AED 376

-27.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$237 RON 1,122

$2,454 AED 9,014

-90.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$184 RON 871

$1,510 AED 5,545

-87.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$400 RON 1,892

$4,640 AED 17.0K

-91.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$353 RON 1,672

$2,961 AED 10.9K

-88.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,841 RON 22.9K

$7,219 AED 26.5K

-32.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,476 RON 16.4K

$4,232 AED 15.5K

-17.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,154 RON 5,458

$3,584 AED 13.2K

-67.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

4.54

46.48%

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

Last update for Deva: October 17, 2026

Last update for Dubai: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Deva

$193 22.4%

Dubai

$288 10% 49.3% $95

Accommodation & Living

Deva

$184 21.3%

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4% 721% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Deva

$152 17.6%

Dubai

$394 13.7% 160% $242

Clothing & Footwear

Deva

$123 14.2%

Dubai

$154 5.3% 25.2% $31

Eating Out

Deva

$121 14%

Dubai

$311 10.8% 158% $191

Sport & Entertainment

Deva

$52 6%

Dubai

$137 4.8% 165% $85

Getting Around

Deva

$39 4.5%

Dubai

$89 3.1% 131% $51

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $237 in Deva versus $2,454 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 211% 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 $21.00 in Deva versus $82.0 in Dubai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $288 – making Deva the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Deva

🇦🇪 Dubai

🕒 Local time

14:33 2:33 PM

15:33 3:33 PM

1 h ahead of Deva

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

61,123

3,790,000

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AED, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Deva Dubai 3,690 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Deva
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

Deva vs Dubai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $862 in Deva, $2,883 in Dubai – roughly 234% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,294 per month in Deva and $4,324 in Dubai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 49% more in Dubai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21.00 in Deva and $82.0 in Dubai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Deva, where all-in costs run around $862, than in Dubai at $2,883. In Deva it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dubai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $862 in Deva to $2,883 in Dubai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Deva. 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.