Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Al-qardahah

For one person, living is cheaper in Al-qardahah: $638 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $27,100 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Al-qardahah
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Al-qardahah Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Al-qardahah

🇸🇾 Syria

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $2,896 per month in Dubai vs $638 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Dubai $2,896
Al-qardahah $638

A couple spends around $4,384 per month in Dubai vs $1,011 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Dubai $4,384
Al-qardahah $1,011

A family of three spends $5,872 per month in Dubai vs $1,383 in Al-qardahah, rent included.

Dubai $5,872
Al-qardahah $1,383

Dubai costs about 354% more than Al-qardahah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 115% above the global median, while Al-qardahah is 53% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$9.83 SYP 1,194

28.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$42.10 SYP 5,117

94.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$7.03 SYP 855

32.86%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$3.67 SYP 446

60.49%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$2.27 SYP 276

-25.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.86 SYP 105

-9.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$2.05 SYP 249

566.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$3.98 SYP 484

238.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.10 SYP 133

67.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$0.42 SYP 50.5

257.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$1.58 SYP 192

62.66%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.60 SYP 195

107.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$3.89 SYP 472

223.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$5.56 SYP 676

73.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$13.73 SYP 1,668

-6.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$1.02 SYP 124

154.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.41 SYP 171

34.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$1.15 SYP 139

66.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.03 SYP 125

33.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$0.76 SYP 91.9

48.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.76 SYP 92.1

32.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$0.44 SYP 53.5

227.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.62 SYP 75.9

8.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$2.85 SYP 346

106.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$5.81 SYP 706

177.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.05 SYP 128

159.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.92 SYP 355

5.48%

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

$0.98 SYP 120

230.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.57 SYP 190

-54.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$7.49 SYP 911

6.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$3.72 SYP 452

-73.66%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$15.1K SYP 1.8M

81.67%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$19.0K SYP 2.3M

16.01%

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

$249 AED 913

$137 SYP 16.7K

81.06%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$9.89 SYP 1,202

450.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$45.78 SYP 5,564

99.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$5.62 SYP 683

189.86%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$66.2 SYP 8,040

1174.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$1,781 SYP 216.4K

925.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$29.05 SYP 3,531

130.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$39.40 SYP 4,788

47.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$59.0 SYP 7,164

73.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$57.9 SYP 7,030

70.65%

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

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

14.25

-68.14%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Al-qardahah: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Al-qardahah

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Al-qardahah

$193 30.2% 51.1% $201

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Al-qardahah

$175 27.3% 42.8% $131

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Al-qardahah

$168 26.3% 42.5% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Al-qardahah

$83 13.1% 43.1% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Al-qardahah

$11 * 1.8% 91.7% $125

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Al-qardahah

$8.8 * 1.4% 90.1% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Dubai versus $42.00 in Al-qardahah. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $168 – making Al-qardahah the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇸🇾 Al-qardahah

🕒 Local time

00:04 12:04 AM

23:04 11:04 PM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Syrian Pound SYP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD

1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SYP, 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).

Syrian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 122 SYP (1,000 SYP = 8.23 USD). 1 EUR = 137 SYP (1,000 SYP = 7.32 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Al-qardahah 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Al-qardahah

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-qardahah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 354%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,344 per month in Dubai and $958 in Al-qardahah. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Dubai and $42.00 in Al-qardahah. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 74% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Al-qardahah, where all-in costs run around $638, than in Dubai at $2,896. In Al-qardahah it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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-qardahah. 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.