Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Al Fallujah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Fallujah: $826 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $24,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Al Fallujah
Learn more

Al Fallujah Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Al Fallujah

🇮🇶 Iraq

$826

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Al Fallujah

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $826 in Al Fallujah.

Dubai $2,896
Al Fallujah $826

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $1,218 in Al Fallujah.

Dubai $4,384
Al Fallujah $1,218

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $1,609 in Al Fallujah.

Dubai $5,872
Al Fallujah $1,609

Living in Dubai is roughly 250% more expensive than in Al Fallujah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Al Fallujah is 39% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$4.27 IQD 6,456

196.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$30.03 IQD 45.4K

172.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$6.45 IQD 9,753

44.81%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$2.68 IQD 4,050

119.78%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.33 IQD 495

412.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.20 IQD 302

290.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$3.28 IQD 4,957

316.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$3.21 IQD 4,847

320.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$0.88 IQD 1,336

109.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$0.68 IQD 1,033

120.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$1.31 IQD 1,974

96.18%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.69 IQD 2,553

96.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$3.38 IQD 5,108

272.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$4.22 IQD 6,380

128.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$12.55 IQD 19.0K

1.83%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$1.03 IQD 1,559

152.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$0.93 IQD 1,399

104.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$0.93 IQD 1,412

105.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$0.69 IQD 1,046

98.55%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$0.59 IQD 890

91.53%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.59 IQD 892

71.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$0.55 IQD 828

161.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.61 IQD 922

9.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$1.61 IQD 2,427

265.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$11.54 IQD 17.4K

39.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.96 IQD 2,960

38.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$1.97 IQD 2,976

56.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.42 IQD 635

280.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$19.31 IQD 29.2K

293.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$1.94 IQD 2,932

67.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.30 IQD 1,957

-45.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$6.57 IQD 9,921

21.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$0.55 IQD 828

78.18%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$16.5K IQD 24.9M

66.07%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$16.7K IQD 25.3M

31.76%

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

$249 AED 913

$188 IQD 284.3K

32.05%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$17.84 IQD 27.0K

205.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$36.76 IQD 55.5K

148.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$40.84 IQD 61.7K

153.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$9.91 IQD 15.0K

64.38%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$146 IQD 220.0K

479.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$3,020 IQD 4.6M

504.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$25.06 IQD 37.9K

167.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$27.75 IQD 41.9K

108.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$60.6 IQD 91.5K

68.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$41.11 IQD 62.1K

140.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$195 IQD 294.9K

1126.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$150 IQD 226.1K

924.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$353 IQD 533.2K

1201.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$280 IQD 423.8K

947.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$609 IQD 919.7K

1057.60%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$605 IQD 914.7K

597.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

4.12

10.19%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Al Fallujah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Al Fallujah

$150 18.1% 90.2% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Al Fallujah

$243 29.4% 38.4% $152

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Al Fallujah

$111 13.4% 63.7% $195

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Al Fallujah

$164 19.8% 43.8% $128

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Al Fallujah

$70 8.4% 52.6% $77

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Al Fallujah

$61 7.3% 55.4% $75

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Al Fallujah

$29 3.6% 67% $60

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,393 in Dubai and $195 in Al Fallujah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $30.00 in Al Fallujah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $164 per month, with Al Fallujah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇮🇶 Al Fallujah

🕒 Local time

23:24 11:24 PM

22:24 10:24 PM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

326,471

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Iraqi Dinar IQD ع.د

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD

10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IQD, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Iraqi Dinar exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 1,511 IQD (10,000 IQD = 6.62 USD). 1 EUR = 1,699 IQD (10,000 IQD = 5.89 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Al Fallujah 1,440 km ≈ 2 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Al Fallujah

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 Al Fallujah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Al Fallujah wins on cost – living expenses run 250% lower than in Dubai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Al Fallujah the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $4,344 in Dubai and $1,240 in Al Fallujah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,393 in Dubai versus $195 in Al Fallujah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $844 in Dubai versus $146 in Al Fallujah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $826 in Al Fallujah versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Al Fallujah but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Al Fallujah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Al Fallujah delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $826 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Al Fallujah hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Al Fallujah 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 Al Fallujah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 250% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.