Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Al-hawamidiyah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-hawamidiyah: $430 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $29,500 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
20

Cost of Living Index in Al-hawamidiyah
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Al-hawamidiyah Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Al-hawamidiyah

🇪🇬 Egypt

$430

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Al-hawamidiyah

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

A single person spends $2,889 per month in Dubai vs $430 in Al-hawamidiyah, rent included.

Dubai $2,889
Al-hawamidiyah $430

A couple spends around $4,444 per month in Dubai vs $704 in Al-hawamidiyah, rent included.

Dubai $4,444
Al-hawamidiyah $704

A family of three spends $5,999 per month in Dubai vs $977 in Al-hawamidiyah, rent included.

Dubai $5,999
Al-hawamidiyah $977

Dubai costs about 571% more than Al-hawamidiyah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 114% above the global median, while Al-hawamidiyah is 68% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$4.04 E£217

220.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$17.42 E£937

377.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$4.42 E£238

111.54%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.60

$1.22 E£65.6

381.97%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.30 E£16.32

423.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.12 E£6.31

683.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.38

$1.26 E£67.9

966.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$2.74 E£148

395.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$0.81 E£43.33

129.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.66 E£35.58

136.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$0.61 E£32.57

332.79%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$1.09 E£58.7

223.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$3.51 E£189

269.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$4.11 E£221

141.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

$8.80 E£473

46.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$1.39 E£74.6

83.45%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$0.75 E£40.26

173.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$0.48 E£26.00

283.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$0.32 E£17.23

381.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$0.23 E£12.34

408.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.28 E£14.84

264.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$0.23 E£12.29

582.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.17 E£8.94

294.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$1.80 E£96.6

250.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$5.28 E£284

206.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.13 E£60.7

128.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$2.05 E£110

40.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

$0.20 E£11.02

600.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.55 E£29.39

498.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.17 E£8.88

282.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$1.06 E£56.9

666.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$0.40 E£21.58

150.00%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$31.4K E£1.7M

-16.22%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$24.0K E£1.3M

-8.33%

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

$239 AED 877

$13.45 E£723

1675.91%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$6.43 E£346

784.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$12.64 E£679

642.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

$15.26 E£821

495.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$2.65 E£143

512.83%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$80.8 E£4,343

1056.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$1,946 E£104.7K

974.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$31.19 E£1,677

126.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$42.90 E£2,307

42.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$119 E£6,393

-13.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$53.0 E£2,848

119.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

$127 E£6,833

1857.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$72.4 E£3,892

1999.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

$246 E£13.2K

2025.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

$137 E£7,348

2115.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

$704 E£37.9K

891.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

$326 E£17.5K

1259.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

21.33

-78.57%

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

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Al-hawamidiyah: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Al-hawamidiyah

$72 16.8% 95.2% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Al-hawamidiyah

$33 7.6% 91.7% $357

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Al-hawamidiyah

$74 17.1% 76% $233

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Al-hawamidiyah

$118 27.5% 60.2% $179

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Al-hawamidiyah

$111 25.7% 29.9% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Al-hawamidiyah

$21 4.8% 83.3% $103

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Al-hawamidiyah

$2.2 * 0.5% 97.7% $92

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,487 in Dubai versus $127 in Al-hawamidiyah. 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 $83 in Dubai versus $17 in Al-hawamidiyah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $118 – making Al-hawamidiyah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇪🇬 Al-hawamidiyah

🕒 Local time

22:09 10:09 PM

20:09 8:09 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

155,055

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 EGP = 1.86 USD

100 EGP = 1.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 53.77 EGP (100 EGP = 1.86 USD). 1 EUR = 60.39 EGP (100 EGP = 1.66 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Al-hawamidiyah 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Al-hawamidiyah

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-hawamidiyah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai costs about 571% more than Al-hawamidiyah, 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 $4,333 per month in Dubai and $646 in Al-hawamidiyah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al-hawamidiyah, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $127 there versus $2,487 in Dubai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Dubai and $17 in Al-hawamidiyah. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 151% more in Dubai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Al-hawamidiyah, where all-in costs run around $430, than in Dubai at $2,889. In Al-hawamidiyah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Al-hawamidiyah – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.