Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Arbon

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubai: $2,896 a month against $3,464 in Arbon, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
167

Cost of Living Index in Arbon
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Arbon Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Arbon

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,464

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Arbon

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

A single person spends $2,896 per month in Dubai vs $3,464 in Arbon, rent included.

Dubai $2,896
Arbon $3,464

A couple spends around $4,384 per month in Dubai vs $5,192 in Arbon, rent included.

Dubai $4,384
Arbon $5,192

A family of three spends $5,872 per month in Dubai vs $6,920 in Arbon, rent included.

Dubai $5,872
Arbon $6,920

Dubai is about 16% cheaper than Arbon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Dubai and Arbon sit above the global median – Dubai by 115%, Arbon by 157%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$29.53 CHF 24.33

-57.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$144 CHF 118

-43.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$18.95 CHF 15.61

-50.71%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$6.11 CHF 5.03

-3.60%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$5.74 CHF 4.73

-70.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$5.09 CHF 4.19

-84.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$9.00 CHF 7.42

51.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$6.17 CHF 5.08

118.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$2.16 CHF 1.78

-14.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$3.15 CHF 2.60

-52.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$3.79 CHF 3.12

-32.19%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$7.88 CHF 6.49

-57.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$25.14 CHF 20.71

-49.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$28.42 CHF 23.41

-66.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$41.09 CHF 33.84

-68.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$3.42 CHF 2.82

-23.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$2.00 CHF 1.65

-5.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$2.39 CHF 1.97

-20.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$5.28 CHF 4.35

-74.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$2.04 CHF 1.68

-44.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$2.19 CHF 1.80

-53.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$2.28 CHF 1.88

-36.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$1.22 CHF 1.01

-45.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$10.64 CHF 8.77

-44.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$16.47 CHF 13.57

-1.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$2.12 CHF 1.75

28.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.25 CHF 1.85

36.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$4.81 CHF 3.96

-66.74%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$96.0 CHF 79.1

-20.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$6.50 CHF 5.35

-50.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$4.73 CHF 3.89

-84.99%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$36.17 CHF 29.79

-77.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$2.29 CHF 1.89

-57.21%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$34.5K CHF 28.4K

-20.51%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$39.3K CHF 32.4K

-43.92%

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

$249 AED 913

$275 CHF 227

-9.76%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$38.11 CHF 31.39

42.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$54.4 CHF 44.78

68.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$90.0 CHF 74.1

14.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$39.06 CHF 32.17

8.35%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$23.43 CHF 19.29

-30.47%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$2,250 CHF 1,853

-62.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$31.3K CHF 25.8K

-41.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$143 CHF 118

-53.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$65.1 CHF 53.6

-10.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$143 CHF 118

-28.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$177 CHF 146

-44.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$1,561 CHF 1,286

53.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$1,521 CHF 1,253

0.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$2,904 CHF 2,392

58.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$2,322 CHF 1,912

26.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$13.9K CHF 11.5K

-49.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$13.6K CHF 11.2K

-69.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$11.1K CHF 9,124

-68.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

1.9

138.95%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Arbon: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Arbon

$1.5K 43.9% 0.8% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Arbon

$368 10.6% 6.7% $27

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Arbon

$467 13.5% 53% $162

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Arbon

$588 17% 102% $296

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Arbon

$238 6.9% 62.4% $91

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Arbon

$137 4% 0.7% $0.9

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Arbon

$145 4.2% 63.2% $56

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,393 in Dubai versus $1,561 in Arbon. 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 220% higher in Arbon, 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 $82.0 in Dubai versus $144 in Arbon. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $588 – making Dubai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇨🇭 Arbon

🕒 Local time

14:42 2:42 PM

12:42 12:42 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

15,853

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, 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).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.926 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Arbon 4,710 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Arbon

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 Arbon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,896 in Dubai, $3,464 in Arbon – roughly 20% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,344 per month in Dubai and $5,197 in Arbon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,896 in Dubai and $3,464 in Arbon. That's a gap of about 20%.

Public transport costs about 26% less in Dubai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,896 in Dubai and $3,464 in Arbon. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Dubai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $2,896 in Dubai to $3,464 in Arbon. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Dubai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Arbon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.