Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Aden

For one person, living is cheaper in Aden: $1,399 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $17,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
67

Cost of Living Index in Aden
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Aden Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Aden

🇾🇪 Yemen

$1,399

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Aden

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

A single person spends $2,854 per month in Dubai vs $1,399 in Aden, rent included.

Dubai $2,854
Aden $1,399

A couple spends around $4,321 per month in Dubai vs $2,375 in Aden, rent included.

Dubai $4,321
Aden $2,375

A family of three spends $5,788 per month in Dubai vs $3,352 in Aden, rent included.

Dubai $5,788
Aden $3,352

Dubai costs about 104% more than Aden, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dubai and Aden sit above the global median – Dubai by 113%, Aden by 4%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$12.51 YER 2,949

4.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$36.00 YER 8,489

126.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$10.35 YER 2,440

-9.95%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.63 YER 857

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.50 YER 1,060

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$3.98 YER 938

50.00%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$3.31 YER 779

-50.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$1.84 YER 434

-55.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$5.23 YER 1,232

-65.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$2.41 YER 569

-34.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$9.31 YER 2,196

-73.25%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$10.62 YER 2,505

-69.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$8.49 YER 2,002

49.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$15.75 YER 3,715

-38.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$55.8 YER 13.1K

-76.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$13.49 YER 3,180

-80.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$3.67 YER 865

-47.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$10.39 YER 2,450

-81.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$4.69 YER 1,106

-71.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$4.43 YER 1,044

-73.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$4.12 YER 971

-75.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$1.31 YER 308

15.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$1.41 YER 332

-56.03%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$6.34 YER 1,494

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.24 YER 1,000

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$5.17 YER 1,220

13.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.32 YER 75.3

412.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$2.73 YER 643

-63.74%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

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

$250 AED 920

$49.54 YER 11.7K

405.45%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$10.08 YER 2,378

438.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$24.65 YER 5,813

300.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$10.04 YER 2,367

324.40%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$6.00 YER 1,414

167.17%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$32.98 YER 7,776

2457.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$5,351 YER 1.3M

241.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$106 YER 24.9K

-35.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$83.9 YER 19.8K

-31.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$112 YER 26.4K

-9.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$161 YER 38.0K

-37.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$235 YER 55.4K

912.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$257 YER 60.5K

487.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$842 YER 198.5K

426.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$543 YER 127.9K

454.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$590 YER 139.2K

1106.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$451 YER 106.3K

817.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$388 YER 91.6K

772.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

-58.73%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Aden: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Aden

$257 18.5% 83% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Aden

$60 * 4.3% 85% $337

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Aden

$199 14.4% 35.4% $109

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Aden

$626 45.1% 114% $333

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Aden

$208 15% 41.3% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Aden

$37 2.6% 72% $94

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Aden

$1.3 * 0.1% 98.5% $86

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,380 in Dubai versus $235 in Aden. 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 773% 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 $81.0 in Dubai versus $36.00 in Aden. Groceries tell a different story – $293 in Dubai vs $626 in Aden – so Dubai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇾🇪 Aden

🕒 Local time

11:06 11:06 AM

10:06 10:06 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

508,489

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Aden 1,730 km ≈ 2 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Aden

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 Aden: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai costs about 104% more than Aden, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,281 per month in Dubai and $2,098 in Aden. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aden, 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 $2,854 in Dubai and $1,399 in Aden. That's a gap of about 104%.

Kindergarten costs $843 per month in Dubai and $32.98 in Aden. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Aden, where all-in costs run around $1,399, than in Dubai at $2,854. In Aden it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Aden costs $1,399 versus $2,854 in Dubai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Aden. 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.