Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Az-zabadani

For one person, living is cheaper in Az-zabadani: $648 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $27,000 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 Az-zabadani
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Az-zabadani Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Az-zabadani

🇸🇾 Syria

$648

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Az-zabadani

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

A single person spends $2,896 per month in Dubai vs $648 in Az-zabadani, rent included.

Dubai $2,896
Az-zabadani $648

A couple spends around $4,384 per month in Dubai vs $1,023 in Az-zabadani, rent included.

Dubai $4,384
Az-zabadani $1,023

A family of three spends $5,872 per month in Dubai vs $1,397 in Az-zabadani, rent included.

Dubai $5,872
Az-zabadani $1,397

Dubai costs about 347% more than Az-zabadani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 115% above the global median, while Az-zabadani is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$10.07 SYP 1,224

25.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$42.10 SYP 5,116

94.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$7.20 SYP 875

29.72%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$3.65 SYP 444

61.37%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$2.31 SYP 281

-26.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.89 SYP 108

-12.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$1.98 SYP 240

589.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$4.04 SYP 491

233.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.10 SYP 134

67.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$0.42 SYP 50.8

257.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$1.57 SYP 191

63.69%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.63 SYP 198

103.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$3.82 SYP 465

229.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$5.63 SYP 684

71.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$13.89 SYP 1,689

-7.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$1.07 SYP 130

142.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.37 SYP 166

38.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$1.15 SYP 140

66.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.07 SYP 129

28.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$0.78 SYP 95.0

44.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.77 SYP 93.0

31.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$0.40 SYP 49.17

260.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.62 SYP 75.8

8.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$2.84 SYP 345

107.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$6.12 SYP 744

163.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.06 SYP 129

156.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.95 SYP 359

4.41%

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

$1.02 SYP 123

217.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.56 SYP 190

-54.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$7.66 SYP 931

3.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$3.71 SYP 450

-73.58%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$14.7K SYP 1.8M

85.92%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$19.2K SYP 2.3M

14.91%

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

$249 AED 913

$142 SYP 17.2K

75.16%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$9.50 SYP 1,154

472.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$46.91 SYP 5,701

94.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$5.60 SYP 681

190.89%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$67.5 SYP 8,203

1149.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$1,751 SYP 212.8K

943.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$28.20 SYP 3,427

137.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$40.59 SYP 4,933

42.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$59.6 SYP 7,245

71.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$57.6 SYP 6,997

71.45%

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 Az-zabadani: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Az-zabadani

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Az-zabadani

$198 30.6% 49.7% $196

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Az-zabadani

$177 27.3% 42.1% $128

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Az-zabadani

$169 26.1% 42% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Az-zabadani

$84 12.9% 42.9% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Az-zabadani

$11 * 1.7% 91.8% $125

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Az-zabadani

$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 Az-zabadani. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $169 – making Az-zabadani the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇸🇾 Az-zabadani

🕒 Local time

23:31 11:31 PM

22:31 10:31 PM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

26,285

💱 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 Az-zabadani 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Az-zabadani

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 Az-zabadani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai costs about 347% more than Az-zabadani, 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 $972 in Az-zabadani. 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 Az-zabadani. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 72% 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 Az-zabadani, where all-in costs run around $648, than in Dubai at $2,896. In Az-zabadani it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Az-zabadani costs $648 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 Az-zabadani. 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.