Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Alexandria

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $457 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $28,800 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇪🇬 Egypt

$457

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Alexandria

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

A single person spends $2,854 per month in Dubai vs $457 in Alexandria, rent included.

Dubai $2,854
Alexandria $457

A couple spends around $4,321 per month in Dubai vs $766 in Alexandria, rent included.

Dubai $4,321
Alexandria $766

A family of three spends $5,788 per month in Dubai vs $1,074 in Alexandria, rent included.

Dubai $5,788
Alexandria $1,074

Dubai costs about 524% more than Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 113% above the global median, while Alexandria is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$4.22 E£221

209.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$19.34 E£1,012

320.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$4.89 E£256

90.59%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$1.32 E£69.2

352.27%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$0.33 E£17.52

393.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.11 E£5.74

636.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$1.32 E£68.9

934.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$2.89 E£151

362.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$0.89 E£46.56

103.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$0.68 E£35.57

130.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$0.60 E£31.60

315.00%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$1.18 E£61.8

177.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$3.91 E£205

224.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$4.41 E£231

121.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$9.14 E£478

44.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$1.56 E£81.5

67.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$0.80 E£41.85

141.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$0.53 E£27.47

262.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$0.36 E£18.63

277.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$0.26 E£13.63

350.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.32 E£16.88

215.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.25 E£13.04

504.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.21 E£11.17

195.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$1.93 E£101

203.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$5.62 E£294

187.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$1.21 E£63.2

119.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$2.25 E£118

31.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.19 E£9.89

763.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$11.58 E£606

535.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$0.55 E£29.02

476.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$0.53 E£27.80

33.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$1.16 E£60.6

586.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$0.47 E£24.62

110.64%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$32.7K E£1.7M

-16.23%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$26.6K E£1.4M

-15.40%

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

$250 AED 920

$14.06 E£736

1680.94%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$6.67 E£349

713.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$13.58 E£710

575.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$12.74 E£667

674.18%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$7.48 E£392

469.65%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$2.90 E£152

452.76%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$88.5 E£4,628

853.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$2,142 E£112.1K

752.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$33.60 E£1,758

102.23%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$46.46 E£2,431

24.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$129 E£6,737

-21.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$57.6 E£3,015

75.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$134 E£7,026

1672.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$69.3 E£3,624

2074.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$292 E£15.3K

1420.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$146 E£7,629

1964.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$698 E£36.5K

920.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$441 E£23.1K

838.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$142 E£7,430

2287.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

21.33

-78.72%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Alexandria

$69 15% 95.4% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Alexandria

$34 7.4% 91.3% $362

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Alexandria

$78 16.9% 74.6% $230

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Alexandria

$127 27.5% 56.5% $165

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Alexandria

$120 25.9% 18.7% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Alexandria

$19 4% 85.8% $112

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Alexandria

$16 3.4% 82.1% $71

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,380 in Dubai versus $134 in Alexandria. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 2287% 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 $81.0 in Dubai versus $19.00 in Alexandria. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $127 – making Alexandria the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇪🇬 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

18:04 6:04 PM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

4,546,231

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.71 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 October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.63 EGP (100 EGP = 1.71 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Alexandria 2,570 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai costs about 524% more than Alexandria, 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 $4,281 per month in Dubai and $686 in Alexandria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $843 per month in Dubai and $88.5 in Alexandria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 130% 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 Alexandria, where all-in costs run around $457, than in Dubai at $2,854. In Alexandria it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Alexandria costs $457 versus $2,854 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 Alexandria. 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.