Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Benidorm

Name: Benidorm
Address: Benidorm, ES

For one person, living is cheaper in Benidorm: $1,689 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Benidorm
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Benidorm Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Benidorm

🇪🇸 Spain

$1,689

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Benidorm

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

A single person spends $2,896 per month in Dubai vs $1,689 in Benidorm, rent included.

Dubai $2,896
Benidorm $1,689

A couple spends around $4,384 per month in Dubai vs $2,487 in Benidorm, rent included.

Dubai $4,384
Benidorm $2,487

A family of three spends $5,872 per month in Dubai vs $3,284 in Benidorm, rent included.

Dubai $5,872
Benidorm $3,284

Dubai costs about 71% more than Benidorm, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Dubai and Benidorm sit above the global median – Dubai by 115%, Benidorm by 25%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$17.29 €15.38

-26.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$52.8 €46.96

54.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$12.46 €11.08

-25.04%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$2.38 €2.12

147.48%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$2.34 €2.08

-27.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$1.17 €1.04

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$3.38 €3.00

304.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$3.65 €3.25

269.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.14 €1.01

61.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.34 €1.19

11.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$1.41 €1.25

82.27%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$3.38 €3.00

-1.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$10.95 €9.74

15.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$7.78 €6.92

24.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$15.79 €14.05

-19.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$2.09 €1.86

24.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.86 €1.66

2.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$1.89 €1.68

1.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$2.64 €2.35

-48.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.72 €1.53

-34.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.75 €1.56

-42.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$1.11 €0.99

29.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.40 €0.36

67.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$6.07 €5.40

-3.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$5.61 €4.99

187.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$0.90 €0.80

202.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$0.89 €0.79

246.07%

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

$4.40 €3.92

-26.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.36 €1.21

-47.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$23.59 €20.98

-66.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.74 €1.54

-43.68%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$35.5K €31.6K

-22.86%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$28.6K €25.4K

-22.88%

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

$249 AED 913

$158 €140

57.41%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$16.12 €14.34

237.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$22.34 €19.88

309.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$10.84 €9.64

50.28%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$579 €515

45.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$9,540 €8,486

91.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$90.7 €80.7

-26.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$42.19 €37.53

37.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$96.9 €86.2

5.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$117 €104

-15.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$1,012 €900

136.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$821 €730

86.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$1,743 €1,550

163.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$1,323 €1,177

122.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$5,089 €4,527

38.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$2,476 €2,202

70.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$1,763 €1,568

96.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

3.3

37.58%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Benidorm: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Benidorm

$821 48.6% 46.4% $712

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Benidorm

$196 11.6% 50.2% $198

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Benidorm

$242 14.4% 20.6% $63

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Benidorm

$241 14.3% 17.4% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Benidorm

$156 9.2% 6.4% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Benidorm

$22 * 1.3% 84.1% $114

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Benidorm

$11 * 0.7% 87.4% $78

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,393 in Dubai versus $1,012 in Benidorm. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 96% higher in Dubai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Dubai versus $53.0 in Benidorm. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $241 – making Benidorm the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇪🇸 Benidorm

🕒 Local time

10:43 10:43 AM

08:43 8:43 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

72,342

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Benidorm 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Benidorm

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 Benidorm: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 71%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,344 per month in Dubai and $2,534 in Benidorm. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Benidorm, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,896 in Dubai and $1,689 in Benidorm. That's a gap of about 71%.

Kindergarten costs $844 per month in Dubai and $579 in Benidorm. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Benidorm, where all-in costs run around $1,689, than in Dubai at $2,896. In Benidorm it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

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 Benidorm. 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.