Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Battambang

For one person, living is cheaper in Battambang: $650 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $26,400 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Battambang
Learn more

Battambang Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Battambang

🇰🇭 Cambodia

$650

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Battambang

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $650 in Battambang.

Dubai $2,854
Battambang $650

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $1,040 in Battambang.

Dubai $4,321
Battambang $1,040

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $1,429 in Battambang.

Dubai $5,788
Battambang $1,429

Living in Dubai is roughly 339% more expensive than in Battambang, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Battambang is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$2.44 ៛9,904

434.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$17.77 ៛72.1K

358.02%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$6.19 ៛25.1K

50.57%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$1.35 ៛5,464

342.22%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$0.68 ៛2,748

139.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.52 ៛2,115

55.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$0.84 ៛3,423

1525.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$2.30 ៛9,335

481.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$2.20 ៛8,929

-17.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$1.02 ៛4,129

53.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$0.99 ៛4,011

151.52%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$1.68 ៛6,818

95.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$14.88 ៛60.3K

-14.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$2.44 ៛9,885

299.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$9.26 ៛37.6K

42.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$3.96 ៛16.1K

-34.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$1.28 ៛5,202

50.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$4.19 ៛17.0K

-54.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$2.18 ៛8,860

-37.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$1.57 ៛6,358

-25.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.15 ៛4,661

-12.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.73 ៛2,951

106.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.74 ៛2,996

-16.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$1.87 ៛7,582

212.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$11.16 ៛45.3K

44.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$0.60 ៛2,442

341.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$0.98 ៛3,987

201.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$0.90 ៛3,657

252.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$0.89 ៛3,622

-20.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$4.87 ៛19.8K

63.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$1.25 ៛5,063

-20.80%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$34.8K ៛141.2M

-21.40%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$34.1K ៛138.2M

-33.83%

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

$250 AED 920

$63.7 ៛258.4K

293.09%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$2.77 ៛11.2K

1858.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$24.60 ៛99.8K

273.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$22.59 ៛91.6K

336.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$4.89 ៛19.8K

227.81%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$91.1 ៛369.3K

826.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$3,931 ៛15.9M

364.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$20.04 ៛81.3K

239.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$24.47 ៛99.3K

136.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$92.2 ៛373.9K

9.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$44.66 ៛181.1K

126.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$221 ៛894.9K

978.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$151 ៛613.7K

895.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$433 ៛1.8M

923.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$327 ៛1.3M

821.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$199 ៛807.6K

1602.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

7.25

-37.38%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Battambang: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Battambang

$151 23% 90% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Battambang

$91 13.8% 77% $305

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Battambang

$68 10.3% 78% $241

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Battambang

$229 34.7% 21.8% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Battambang

$82 12.4% 44.6% $66

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Battambang

$32 4.9% 75.2% $98

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Battambang

$5.4 * 0.8% 93.8% $82

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,380 in Dubai and $221 in Battambang. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 1603% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $81.0 in Dubai vs $18.00 in Battambang for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $229 per month, with Battambang cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇰🇭 Battambang

🕒 Local time

06:51 6:51 AM

09:51 9:51 AM

3 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

196,709

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Cambodian Riel KHR ៛

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD

10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KHR, 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).

Cambodian Riel exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,056 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,549 KHR (10,000 KHR = 2.2 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Battambang 5,190 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Battambang

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 Battambang: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Battambang wins on cost – living expenses run 339% lower than in Dubai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Battambang the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1603% higher in Dubai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,380 in Dubai versus $221 in Battambang. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $843 in Dubai versus $91.1 in Battambang. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Battambang – a meal for two runs $18.00 versus $81.0 in Dubai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $650 in Battambang versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Battambang but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Battambang the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Battambang delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $650 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Battambang hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Battambang 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 Battambang gentler on the wallet – expenses run 339% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.