Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Adliya

For one person, living is cheaper in Adliya: $748 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $25,800 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
36

Cost of Living Index in Adliya
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Adliya Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Adliya

🇧🇭 Bahrain

$748

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Adliya

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

A single person spends $2,896 per month in Dubai vs $748 in Adliya, rent included.

Dubai $2,896
Adliya $748

A couple spends around $4,384 per month in Dubai vs $1,189 in Adliya, rent included.

Dubai $4,384
Adliya $1,189

A family of three spends $5,872 per month in Dubai vs $1,630 in Adliya, rent included.

Dubai $5,872
Adliya $1,630

Dubai costs about 287% more than Adliya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 115% above the global median, while Adliya is 45% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$3.85 BHD 1.45

229.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$53.3 BHD 20.12

53.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$7.52 BHD 2.84

24.20%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$1.05 BHD 0.40

460.95%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.83 BHD 0.31

103.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.25 BHD 0.09

212.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$6.64 BHD 2.51

105.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$9.71 BHD 3.66

38.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.44 BHD 0.55

27.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.11 BHD 0.42

35.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$2.34 BHD 0.88

9.83%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$2.31 BHD 0.87

43.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$8.45 BHD 3.19

49.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$6.47 BHD 2.44

49.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$8.76 BHD 3.31

45.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$2.32 BHD 0.87

12.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$2.34 BHD 0.88

-18.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$1.96 BHD 0.74

-2.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.45 BHD 0.55

-5.52%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.05 BHD 0.39

7.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.35 BHD 0.51

-25.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$1.55 BHD 0.59

-7.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.85 BHD 0.32

-21.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$5.16 BHD 1.95

13.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$18.39 BHD 6.94

-12.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$3.65 BHD 1.38

-25.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.68 BHD 1.01

14.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$5.33 BHD 2.01

-39.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$3.53 BHD 1.33

-79.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$15.60 BHD 5.89

-48.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$0.70 BHD 0.27

40.00%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$37.5K BHD 14.2K

-26.97%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$20.4K BHD 7,706

7.90%

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

$249 AED 913

$155 BHD 58.5

60.20%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$24.08 BHD 9.09

126.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$35.24 BHD 13.30

159.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$10.45 BHD 3.94

55.89%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$493 BHD 186

71.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$11.0K BHD 4,147

66.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$19.74 BHD 7.45

239.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$58.1 BHD 21.91

-0.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$87.9 BHD 33.17

16.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$90.2 BHD 34.06

9.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

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)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$3,160 BHD 1,193

9.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

6.21

-26.89%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Adliya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Adliya

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Adliya

$214 28.7% 45.6% $180

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Adliya

$123 16.4% 59.7% $182

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Adliya

$251 33.6% 13.8% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Adliya

$115 15.4% 21.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Adliya

$21 * 2.8% 84.6% $115

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Adliya

$23 * 3.1% 74.2% $66

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 10% 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 $82.0 in Dubai versus $53.0 in Adliya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $251 – making Adliya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇧🇭 Adliya

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

15:26 3:26 PM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

147,074

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Bahraini Dinar BHD .د.ب

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 BHD = 2.65 USD

1 BHD = 2.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BHD, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Bahraini Dinar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.377 BHD (1 BHD = 2.65 USD). 1 EUR = 0.424 BHD (1 BHD = 2.36 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Dubai Adliya 480 km

From you

Dubai
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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 Adliya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai costs about 287% more than Adliya, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,344 per month in Dubai and $1,122 in Adliya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,896 in Dubai and $748 in Adliya. That's a gap of about 287%.

Kindergarten costs $844 per month in Dubai and $493 in Adliya. 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 Adliya, where all-in costs run around $748, than in Dubai at $2,896. In Adliya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Adliya costs $748 versus $2,896 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 Adliya. 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.