Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Baniyas

For one person, living is cheaper in Baniyas: $384 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $30,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Baniyas
Learn more

Baniyas Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Baniyas

🇸🇾 Syria

$384

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Baniyas

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $384 in Baniyas.

Dubai $2,896
Baniyas $384

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $677 in Baniyas.

Dubai $4,384
Baniyas $677

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $969 in Baniyas.

Dubai $5,872
Baniyas $969

Living in Dubai is roughly 655% more expensive than in Baniyas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Baniyas is 72% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$1.95 SYP 237

549.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$42.08 SYP 5,114

94.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$7.12 SYP 865

31.18%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$0.52 SYP 63.7

1032.69%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$1.02 SYP 124

65.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.31 SYP 37.87

151.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$1.53 SYP 186

792.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$3.94 SYP 479

242.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$0.81 SYP 98.8

127.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$0.42 SYP 50.9

257.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$0.98 SYP 119

162.24%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.21 SYP 147

174.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$3.47 SYP 422

263.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$5.60 SYP 681

72.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$14.06 SYP 1,709

-9.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$0.52 SYP 63.3

400.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.02 SYP 124

86.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$0.31 SYP 37.82

516.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$0.51 SYP 62.5

168.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$0.31 SYP 38.00

264.52%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.39 SYP 47.06

158.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$0.44 SYP 53.0

227.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.61 SYP 74.6

9.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$2.80 SYP 340

110.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$5.03 SYP 611

221.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.11 SYP 135

145.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.97 SYP 361

3.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.20 SYP 23.91

700.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$7.95 SYP 966

855.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$1.01 SYP 123

220.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.51 SYP 183

-52.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$7.65 SYP 930

4.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.54 SYP 187

-36.36%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$14.8K SYP 1.8M

85.31%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$18.9K SYP 2.3M

16.83%

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

$249 AED 913

$19.96 SYP 2,425

1144.99%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$3.97 SYP 482

1271.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$45.77 SYP 5,561

99.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$5.45 SYP 663

198.90%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$66.8 SYP 8,117

1162.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$1,814 SYP 220.4K

907.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$8.09 SYP 983

728.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$40.38 SYP 4,907

43.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$59.7 SYP 7,256

70.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$58.7 SYP 7,132

68.21%

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 Baniyas: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Baniyas

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Baniyas

$70 18.2% 82.3% $325

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Baniyas

$64 16.7% 79% $241

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Baniyas

$147 38.2% 49.7% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Baniyas

$75 19.6% 48.8% $71

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Baniyas

$11 * 2.8% 92% $125

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Baniyas

$17 4.5% 80.6% $72

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $42.00 in Baniyas for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $147 per month, with Baniyas cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇸🇾 Baniyas

🕒 Local time

22:58 10:58 PM

21:58 9:58 PM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

41,632

💱 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 Baniyas 2,160 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Baniyas

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 Baniyas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baniyas is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 655% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,344 in Dubai and $576 in Baniyas to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Dining out is cheaper in Baniyas – a meal for two runs $42.00 versus $82.0 in Dubai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,896 per month in Dubai versus $384 in Baniyas – a 655% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $384 in Baniyas versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Baniyas but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Baniyas the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Baniyas is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dubai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Baniyas are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baniyas gentler on the wallet – expenses run 655% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.