Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Ayutthaya

For one person, living is cheaper in Ayutthaya: $760 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $25,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Ayutthaya
Learn more

Ayutthaya Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Ayutthaya

🇹🇭 Thailand

$760

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Ayutthaya

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

A single person spends $2,896 per month in Dubai vs $760 in Ayutthaya, rent included.

Dubai $2,896
Ayutthaya $760

A couple spends around $4,384 per month in Dubai vs $1,387 in Ayutthaya, rent included.

Dubai $4,384
Ayutthaya $1,387

A family of three spends $5,872 per month in Dubai vs $2,014 in Ayutthaya, rent included.

Dubai $5,872
Ayutthaya $2,014

Dubai costs about 281% more than Ayutthaya, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 115% above the global median, while Ayutthaya is 44% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$1.75 ฿58.4

624.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$22.42 ฿749

264.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$6.40 ฿214

45.94%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$1.91 ฿63.8

208.38%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.69 ฿23.16

144.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.31 ฿10.36

151.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$2.13 ฿71.4

541.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$2.90 ฿96.8

365.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.45 ฿48.58

26.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.33 ฿44.35

12.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$1.22 ฿40.73

110.66%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.83 ฿61.2

81.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$12.06 ฿403

4.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$2.49 ฿83.3

287.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$10.32 ฿345

23.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$2.43 ฿81.2

7.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.02 ฿34.05

86.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$2.26 ฿75.5

-15.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.35 ฿45.13

1.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.73 ฿57.8

-34.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.05 ฿35.05

-3.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$0.75 ฿25.15

92.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.41 ฿13.79

63.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$3.46 ฿116

69.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$14.02 ฿469

15.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.60 ฿53.4

70.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$1.78 ฿59.6

73.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.93 ฿31.00

72.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$11.94 ฿399

536.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$1.47 ฿49.20

120.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.57 ฿52.6

-54.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$4.97 ฿166

60.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.10 ฿36.73

-10.91%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$16.3K ฿544.3K

68.15%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$26.7K ฿891.3K

-17.39%

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

$249 AED 913

$83.7 ฿2,798

196.82%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$9.07 ฿303

500.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$14.08 ฿471

549.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$66.3 ฿2,215

56.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$14.01 ฿468

202.07%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$4.45 ฿149

266.07%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$197 ฿6,575

328.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$10.9K ฿365.2K

67.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$58.5 ฿1,956

14.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$42.47 ฿1,419

36.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$71.0 ฿2,372

43.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$58.9 ฿1,967

67.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$443 ฿14.8K

440.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$164 ฿5,496

832.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$1,367 ฿45.7K

235.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$723 ฿24.2K

306.63%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$1,908 ฿63.8K

269.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$1,555 ฿52.0K

171.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$951 ฿31.8K

263.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

51.33%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Ayutthaya: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Ayutthaya

$164 21.6% 89.3% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Ayutthaya

$107 14.1% 72.9% $288

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Ayutthaya

$77 10.1% 74.9% $229

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Ayutthaya

$209 27.4% 28.5% $83

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Ayutthaya

$104 13.7% 29.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Ayutthaya

$75 9.9% 44.7% $61

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Ayutthaya

$25 3.3% 72% $64

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,393 in Dubai versus $443 in Ayutthaya. 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 264% 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 $82.0 in Dubai versus $22.00 in Ayutthaya. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $209 – making Ayutthaya the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇹🇭 Ayutthaya

🕒 Local time

23:04 11:04 PM

02:04 2:04 AM

3 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

50,830

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, 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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Ayutthaya 4,870 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Ayutthaya

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 Ayutthaya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 281%, 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 $1,141 in Ayutthaya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ayutthaya, 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 $197 in Ayutthaya. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% 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 Ayutthaya, where all-in costs run around $760, than in Dubai at $2,896. In Ayutthaya it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ayutthaya – 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 Ayutthaya. 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.