Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Aalst

For one person, living is cheaper in Aalst: $2,067 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
101

Cost of Living Index in Aalst
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Aalst Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Aalst

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,067

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Aalst

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $2,067 in Aalst.

Dubai $2,896
Aalst $2,067

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $3,086 in Aalst.

Dubai $4,384
Aalst $3,086

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $4,105 in Aalst.

Dubai $5,872
Aalst $4,105

Living in Dubai is roughly 40% more expensive than in Aalst, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 115% above, Aalst 53% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$22.53 €20.12

-43.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$106 €94.4

-22.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$13.43 €11.99

-30.45%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$4.43 €3.95

32.96%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$3.63 €3.25

-53.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$3.17 €2.83

-75.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$5.55 €4.96

146.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$5.53 €4.93

143.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.31 €1.17

40.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$2.81 €2.51

-46.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$2.13 €1.90

20.66%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$3.83 €3.42

-13.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$17.39 €15.53

-27.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.47

$11.87 €10.60

-18.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$22.29 €19.91

-42.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$2.99 €2.67

-13.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$2.43 €2.17

-21.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$2.67 €2.38

-28.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$3.23 €2.88

-57.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$2.47 €2.21

-54.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.95 €1.74

-48.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$1.54 €1.37

-6.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$1.05 €0.94

-36.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$12.93 €11.54

-54.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$8.74 €7.80

84.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.72 €1.54

58.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.08 €1.86

48.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$3.09 €2.76

-48.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$2.86 €2.56

13.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$2.35 €2.10

-69.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$40.40 €36.07

-80.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$2.12 €1.89

-53.77%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$34.7K €31.0K

-21.00%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$32.8K €29.3K

-32.86%

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

$249 AED 913

$203 €181

22.53%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$21.94 €19.59

148.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$50.8 €45.39

79.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$36.21 €32.33

185.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$21.03 €18.78

101.24%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$15.18 €13.56

7.31%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$1,605 €1,434

-47.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$33.7K €30.1K

-45.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$113 €101

-40.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$46.17 €41.23

25.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$102 €91.0

0.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$163 €146

-39.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,789

$911 €813

162.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$808 €721

89.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$1,384 €1,236

231.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$1,104 €986

166.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$4,162 €3,716

69.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$2,890 €2,581

46.05%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$2,782 €2,485

24.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

3.46

31.21%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Aalst: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Aalst

$807 39.1% 47.3% $725

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Aalst

$276 13.3% 30.1% $119

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Aalst

$340 16.4% 11.3% $34

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Aalst

$360 17.4% 23.5% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Aalst

$191 9.2% 30.3% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Aalst

$67 3.2% 51% $69

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Aalst

$27 * 1.3% 69.8% $62

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 $2,393 in Dubai and $911 in Aalst. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 24% 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: $82.0 in Dubai vs $106 in Aalst for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $360 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇧🇪 Aalst

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

10:23 10:23 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

78,271

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.11 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 15, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Aalst 5,180 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Aalst

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

Dubai vs Aalst: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai and Aalst differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($2,896 vs $2,067 including rent). Aalst is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 24% higher in Dubai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,393 in Dubai versus $911 in Aalst. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Dubai pay roughly 23% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

All in, you'll spend $2,896 per month in Dubai versus $2,067 in Aalst – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $2,067 in Aalst versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Aalst but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Aalst 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, Dubai and Aalst 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 Aalst gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.