Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Bekasi

For one person, living is cheaper in Bekasi: $665 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $26,800 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Bekasi
Learn more

Bekasi Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Bekasi

🇮🇩 Indonesia

$665

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Bekasi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $665 in Bekasi.

Dubai $2,896
Bekasi $665

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $1,073 in Bekasi.

Dubai $4,384
Bekasi $1,073

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $1,480 in Bekasi.

Dubai $5,872
Bekasi $1,480

Living in Dubai is roughly 336% more expensive than in Bekasi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Bekasi is 51% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$2.72 Rp 48.9K

365.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$14.10 Rp 253.9K

479.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$3.41 Rp 61.4K

173.90%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$1.47 Rp 26.4K

300.68%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.46 Rp 8,309

267.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.22 Rp 3,940

254.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$2.44 Rp 43.9K

459.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$3.82 Rp 68.7K

253.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.10 Rp 19.9K

67.27%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.12 Rp 20.2K

33.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$0.85 Rp 15.3K

202.35%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.64 Rp 29.6K

102.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$9.52 Rp 171.4K

32.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$2.94 Rp 53.0K

228.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$8.02 Rp 144.4K

59.35%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$2.74 Rp 49.3K

-5.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.37 Rp 24.7K

38.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$2.50 Rp 45.0K

-23.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.32 Rp 23.8K

3.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.34 Rp 24.1K

-15.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$2.11 Rp 37.9K

-52.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$0.94 Rp 17.0K

53.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.40 Rp 7,281

67.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$2.74 Rp 49.2K

114.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$22.24 Rp 400.3K

-27.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$2.03 Rp 36.5K

33.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$3.12 Rp 56.2K

-1.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.35 Rp 6,217

357.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$11.05 Rp 199.0K

587.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$0.83 Rp 15.0K

290.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$0.44 Rp 7,889

61.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$2.26 Rp 40.7K

252.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$0.86 Rp 15.5K

13.95%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$20.8K Rp 375.2M

31.37%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$32.1K Rp 578.4M

-31.44%

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

$249 AED 913

$63.4 Rp 1.1M

292.08%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$5.94 Rp 106.9K

816.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$19.24 Rp 346.3K

375.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$15.55 Rp 280.0K

564.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$6.20 Rp 111.5K

582.58%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$3.36 Rp 60.6K

384.82%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$128 Rp 2.3M

557.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$8,333 Rp 150.0M

119.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$58.3 Rp 1.0M

14.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$32.38 Rp 582.8K

78.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$76.9 Rp 1.4M

32.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$94.1 Rp 1.7M

4.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$206 Rp 3.7M

1060.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$133 Rp 2.4M

1054.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$457 Rp 8.2M

905.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$358 Rp 6.4M

721.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$585 Rp 10.5M

1103.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$902 Rp 16.2M

367.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$366 Rp 6.6M

845.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

9.46

-52.01%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Bekasi: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Bekasi

$133 20% 91.3% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Bekasi

$89 13.3% 77.5% $306

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Bekasi

$72 10.9% 76.4% $233

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Bekasi

$216 32.5% 26% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Bekasi

$118 17.7% 19.7% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Bekasi

$22 3.4% 83.6% $114

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Bekasi

$15 2.3% 82.7% $74

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,393 in Dubai and $206 in Bekasi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 845% 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: $82.0 in Dubai vs $14.00 in Bekasi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $216 per month, with Bekasi cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇮🇩 Bekasi

🕒 Local time

15:47 3:47 PM

18:47 6:47 PM

3 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

2,334,871

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Indonesian Rupiah IDR Rp

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD

100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

IDR, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Indonesian Rupiah exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 18,000 IDR (100,000 IDR = 5.56 USD). 1 EUR = 20,236 IDR (100,000 IDR = 4.94 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Bekasi 6,590 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Bekasi

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 Bekasi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai and Bekasi differ by about 336% in total monthly costs ($2,896 vs $665 including rent). Bekasi is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 845% 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: $2,393 in Dubai versus $206 in Bekasi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Bekasi – a meal for two runs $14.00 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 $665 in Bekasi – a 336% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $665 in Bekasi versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Bekasi but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Bekasi the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Bekasi 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 Bekasi gentler on the wallet – expenses run 336% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.