Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Abnub

For one person, living is cheaper in Abnub: $433 a month against $2,883 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $29,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Dubai
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates
$2,883
/mo nomad
Abnub
🇪🇬 Egypt
$433
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Abnub

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 Abnub actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,883 per month in Dubai vs $433 in Abnub, rent included.

  • Dubai $2,883
  • Abnub $433

A couple spends around $4,403 per month in Dubai vs $698 in Abnub, rent included.

  • Dubai $4,403
  • Abnub $698

A family of three spends $5,923 per month in Dubai vs $962 in Abnub, rent included.

  • Dubai $5,923
  • Abnub $962

Dubai costs about 565% more than Abnub, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 113% above the global median, while Abnub is 68% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Dubai
Abnub
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.99 AED 47.72
$3.87 E£206
235.66%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.9 AED 301
$15.16 E£809
440.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$9.64 AED 35.40
$4.76 E£254
102.52%
Cappuccino
$6.09 AED 22.38
$1.26 E£67.3
383.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.61 AED 5.93
$0.30 E£16.02
436.67%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 AED 2.76
$0.14 E£7.27
435.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$13.79 AED 50.6
$1.29 E£69.1
968.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$13.41 AED 49.25
$2.87 E£153
367.25%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Dubai
Abnub
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.86 AED 6.83
$0.85 E£45.60
118.82%
White Bread (500g)
$1.53 AED 5.62
$0.70 E£37.44
118.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.55 AED 9.38
$0.60 E£31.79
325.00%
Eggs
$3.28 AED 12.06
$1.19 E£63.6
175.63%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$12.14 AED 44.57
$3.29 E£176
269.00%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.15 AED 33.62
$4.13 E£221
121.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$12.80 AED 47.00
$7.90 E£422
62.03%
Apples (1kg)
$2.56 AED 9.39
$1.45 E£77.4
76.55%
Banana (1kg)
$1.91 AED 7.03
$0.64 E£34.16
198.44%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.82 AED 6.69
$0.45 E£24.15
304.44%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.43 AED 5.26
$0.33 E£17.39
333.33%
Potato (1kg)
$1.10 AED 4.04
$0.32 E£16.87
243.75%
Onion (1kg)
$0.92 AED 3.40
$0.31 E£16.35
196.77%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.52 AED 5.58
$0.27 E£14.42
462.96%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 AED 2.54
$0.21 E£11.39
228.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$6.41 AED 23.55
$1.85 E£98.8
246.49%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.52 AED 60.7
$6.30 E£337
162.22%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.56 AED 9.41
$1.24 E£66.2
106.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.08 AED 11.32
$1.95 E£104
57.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Dubai
Abnub
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.58 AED 5.82
$0.18 E£9.35
777.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$75.9 AED 279
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.19 AED 11.72
$0.37 E£19.52
762.16%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.71 AED 2.62
$0.17 E£8.90
317.65%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.21 AED 30.13
$1.20 E£64.1
584.17%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.01 AED 3.73
$0.45 E£24.28
124.44%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.1K AED 96.0K
$31.6K E£1.7M
-17.16%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K AED 80.2K
$24.5K E£1.3M
-10.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dubai
Abnub
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$245 AED 900
$15.19 E£811
1513.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$57.5 AED 211
$7.02 E£375
719.66%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$91.3 AED 335
$13.38 E£714
581.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Dubai
Abnub
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$105 AED 385
$15.85 E£846
560.82%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$46.58 AED 171
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$16.04 AED 58.9
$2.83 E£151
466.78%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Dubai
Abnub
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$873 AED 3,206
$85.9 E£4,589
915.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.0K AED 66.2K
$1,909 E£102.0K
843.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Dubai
Abnub
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$70.8 AED 260
$17.43 E£931
306.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$62.3 AED 229
$45.05 E£2,406
38.38%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$106 AED 390
$114 E£6,081
-6.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$102 AED 376
$56.4 E£3,014
81.39%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Dubai
Abnub
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,454 AED 9,014
$130 E£6,967
1781.11%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,510 AED 5,545
$75.8 E£4,047
1892.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$4,640 AED 17.0K
$253 E£13.5K
1733.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,961 AED 10.9K
$142 E£7,595
1981.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$7,219 AED 26.5K
$754 E£40.3K
857.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$4,232 AED 15.5K
$355 E£19.0K
1092.15%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Dubai
Abnub
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,584 AED 13.2K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.54
16.21
-71.99%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Abnub: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Dubai
$1.5K
Abnub
$76 95% $1.4K
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Dubai
$394
Abnub
$36 91% $358
Eating Out
Dubai
$311
Abnub
$74 76.1% $237
Groceries & Markets
Dubai
$288
Abnub
$119 58.6% $169
Clothing & Footwear
Dubai
$154
Abnub
$105 31.9% $49
Sport & Entertainment
Dubai
$137
Abnub
$22 84.3% $115
Getting Around
Dubai
$89
Abnub
$1.9 * 97.9% $87

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,454 in Dubai versus $130 in Abnub. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Dubai versus $15.00 in Abnub. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $288 vs $119 – making Abnub the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇦🇪 Dubai
🇪🇬 Abnub
🕒 Local time
23:32 11:32 PM
22:32 10:32 PM
1 h behind Dubai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
3,790,000
111,785
💱 Currency
UAE Dirham AED د.إ
Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

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).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Dubai Abnub 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Dubai
  • Abnub

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 Abnub: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Abnub cheaper than Dubai?
Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 565%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,324 per month in Dubai and $650 in Abnub. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Abnub, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
Is eating out cheaper in Dubai or in Abnub?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Dubai and $15.00 in Abnub. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Dubai and in Abnub?
Groceries cost about 141% more in Dubai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Is $1,500 a realistic budget for living in Dubai or in Abnub?
A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Abnub, where all-in costs run around $433, than in Dubai at $2,883. In Abnub it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Is Dubai or Abnub more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Abnub – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is safer, Dubai or Abnub?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Abnub. 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.

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