Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Al Majma'ah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al Majma'ah: $1,267 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $19,500 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
62

Cost of Living Index in Al Majma'ah
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Al Majma'ah Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Al Majma'ah

🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia

$1,267

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Al Majma'ah

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

A single person spends $2,896 per month in Dubai vs $1,267 in Al Majma'ah, rent included.

Dubai $2,896
Al Majma'ah $1,267

A couple spends around $4,384 per month in Dubai vs $1,966 in Al Majma'ah, rent included.

Dubai $4,384
Al Majma'ah $1,966

A family of three spends $5,872 per month in Dubai vs $2,664 in Al Majma'ah, rent included.

Dubai $5,872
Al Majma'ah $2,664

Dubai costs about 128% more than Al Majma'ah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 115% above the global median, while Al Majma'ah is 6% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$7.88 SAR 29.56

60.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$66.1 SAR 248

23.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$8.24 SAR 30.92

13.35%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 SAR 8.14

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 SAR 11.09

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$4.35 SAR 16.33

35.40%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.90 SAR 3.38

87.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.30 SAR 1.11

160.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.81 SAR 6.79

1.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.32 SAR 4.95

13.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$2.36 SAR 8.85

8.90%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$3.13 SAR 11.76

6.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$10.67 SAR 40.04

18.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$9.33 SAR 35.01

3.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$15.07 SAR 56.5

-15.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$2.82 SAR 10.58

-7.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.97 SAR 7.41

-3.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$2.43 SAR 9.11

-21.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.72 SAR 6.47

-20.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.17 SAR 4.40

-3.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.26 SAR 4.74

-19.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$1.69 SAR 6.34

-14.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.54 SAR 2.02

24.07%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.85 SAR 10.71

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 SAR 6.64

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 SAR 8.93

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$7.95 SAR 29.84

-26.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$1.06 SAR 3.96

50.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$37.10 SAR 139

104.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$3.27 SAR 12.26

-0.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.85 SAR 6.94

-61.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$13.46 SAR 50.5

-40.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$0.59 SAR 2.23

66.10%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$34.8K SAR 130.6K

-21.32%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$23.0K SAR 86.2K

-4.12%

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

$249 AED 913

$105 SAR 395

136.15%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$29.75 SAR 112

82.96%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$71.1 SAR 267

28.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$81.7 SAR 307

26.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$13.61 SAR 51.1

19.69%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$530 SAR 1,988

59.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$10.0K SAR 37.7K

81.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$58.3 SAR 219

15.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$54.8 SAR 206

5.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$101 SAR 379

1.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$102 SAR 384

-3.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$577 SAR 2,166

314.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$371 SAR 1,391

313.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$825 SAR 3,096

456.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$570 SAR 2,137

416.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$2,389 SAR 8,966

194.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$1,363 SAR 5,113

209.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

5.54

-18.05%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Al Majma'ah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Al Majma'ah

$371 29.3% 75.8% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Al Majma'ah

$206 16.3% 47.7% $188

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Al Majma'ah

$145 11.4% 52.6% $160

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Al Majma'ah

$241 19% 17.5% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Al Majma'ah

$142 11.2% 2.9% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Al Majma'ah

$109 8.6% 19.9% $27

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Al Majma'ah

$54 4.3% 39.6% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,393 in Dubai versus $577 in Al Majma'ah. 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 $66.0 in Al Majma'ah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $241 – making Al Majma'ah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇸🇦 Al Majma'ah

🕒 Local time

20:04 8:04 PM

19:04 7:04 PM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 SAR = 0.266 USD

1 SAR = 0.237 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, 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).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.22 SAR (1 SAR = 0.237 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Al Majma'ah 990 km ≈ 1 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Al Majma'ah

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 Majma'ah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai costs about 128% more than Al Majma'ah, 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 $1,901 in Al Majma'ah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Al Majma'ah, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $844 per month in Dubai and $530 in Al Majma'ah. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Dubai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Al Majma'ah, where all-in costs run around $1,267, than in Dubai at $2,896. In Al Majma'ah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Al Majma'ah costs $1,267 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 Al Majma'ah. 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.