Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Ben Arous

For one person, living is cheaper in Ben Arous: $706 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $26,200 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Ben Arous
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Ben Arous Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Ben Arous

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$706

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Ben Arous

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

A single person spends $2,889 per month in Dubai vs $706 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Dubai $2,889
Ben Arous $706

A couple spends around $4,444 per month in Dubai vs $1,110 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Dubai $4,444
Ben Arous $1,110

A family of three spends $5,999 per month in Dubai vs $1,515 in Ben Arous, rent included.

Dubai $5,999
Ben Arous $1,515

Dubai costs about 309% more than Ben Arous, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 114% above the global median, while Ben Arous is 48% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$5.25 TND 15.61

146.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$19.74 TND 58.7

321.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$5.37 TND 15.97

74.12%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.60

$1.22 TND 3.62

381.97%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.63 TND 1.87

149.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.27 TND 0.81

248.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.38

$1.65 TND 4.92

714.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$1.97 TND 5.84

588.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$0.52 TND 1.55

257.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.11 TND 0.32

1318.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$1.71 TND 5.07

54.39%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$1.50 TND 4.45

135.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$10.64 TND 31.65

21.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$6.26 TND 18.62

58.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

$17.14 TND 51.0

-24.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$1.66 TND 4.94

53.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$4.55 TND 13.52

-54.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$0.95 TND 2.84

93.68%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$0.77 TND 2.29

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$0.87 TND 2.60

34.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.65 TND 1.95

56.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$0.52 TND 1.53

201.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.30 TND 0.91

123.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$3.47 TND 10.31

81.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$6.54 TND 19.43

147.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$0.93 TND 2.78

177.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$1.18 TND 3.52

144.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

$0.38 TND 1.13

268.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

$13.64 TND 40.54

504.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.31 TND 0.92

961.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.28 TND 0.82

132.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$1.85 TND 5.50

339.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$0.84 TND 2.48

19.05%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$40.0K TND 118.9K

-34.24%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$23.1K TND 68.6K

-4.44%

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

$239 AED 877

$55.7 TND 166

328.91%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$10.23 TND 30.41

456.01%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$20.61 TND 61.3

355.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

$32.45 TND 96.5

179.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

$16.92 TND 50.3

174.11%

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$4.94 TND 14.70

228.74%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$62.4 TND 185

1396.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$1,952 TND 5,805

971.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$44.21 TND 131

59.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$62.1 TND 185

-1.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$85.4 TND 254

20.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$46.78 TND 139

148.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

$212 TND 630

1074.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$157 TND 468

866.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

$386 TND 1,148

1255.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

$272 TND 808

1014.04%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

$929 TND 2,762

651.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

$419 TND 1,246

957.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

$256 TND 760

1290.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

10.5

-56.48%

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

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Ben Arous: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Ben Arous

$157 22.3% 89.7% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Ben Arous

$87 12.3% 77.8% $303

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Ben Arous

$89 12.6% 71.1% $218

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Ben Arous

$207 29.3% 30.4% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Ben Arous

$107 15.2% 32% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Ben Arous

$42 6% 65.7% $81

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Ben Arous

$17 2.4% 82.2% $78

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,487 in Dubai versus $212 in Ben Arous. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Dubai are about 14 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Dubai versus $20 in Ben Arous. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $207 – making Ben Arous the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇹🇳 Ben Arous

🕒 Local time

03:33 3:33 AM

00:33 12:33 AM

3 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

88,322

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1 TND = 0.336 USD

1 TND = 0.3 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 2.97 TND (1 TND = 0.336 USD). 1 EUR = 3.34 TND (1 TND = 0.3 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Ben Arous 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Ben Arous

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 Ben Arous: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,889 in Dubai, $706 in Ben Arous – Ben Arous comes out roughly 76% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,333 per month in Dubai and $1,058 in Ben Arous. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ben Arous, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $212 there versus $2,487 in Dubai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Dubai and $20 in Ben Arous. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,889 in Dubai and $706 in Ben Arous. That makes Ben Arous about 76% cheaper.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Ben Arous, where all-in costs run around $706, than in Dubai at $2,889. In Ben Arous it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Ben Arous – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Ben Arous. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dubai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.