Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Bentota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $777 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $25,300 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Bentota
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Bentota Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Bentota

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $777 in Bentota.

Dubai $2,889
Bentota $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $896 in Bentota.

Dubai $4,444
Bentota $896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $1,014 in Bentota.

Dubai $5,999
Bentota $1,014

Living in Dubai is roughly 272% more expensive than in Bentota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 114% above, Bentota is 42% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$3.78 LKR 1,257

242.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$12.00 LKR 3,991

593.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$7.36 LKR 2,446

27.04%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.59

$2.47 LKR 822

138.06%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.71 LKR 236

121.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.25 LKR 83.0

276.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.37

$2.19 LKR 728

513.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$3.10 LKR 1,030

337.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$1.57 LKR 523

18.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.52 LKR 174

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$0.80 LKR 267

230.00%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$1.65 LKR 549

113.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$15.18 LKR 5,047

-14.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$3.36 LKR 1,118

195.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

$4.47 LKR 1,487

189.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$6.76 LKR 2,246

-62.28%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$0.76 LKR 254

169.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$4.08 LKR 1,355

-54.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$0.86 LKR 287

79.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$1.07 LKR 357

9.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.82 LKR 274

24.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$1.21 LKR 402

29.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.42 LKR 139

59.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$10.06 LKR 3,346

-37.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$13.69 LKR 4,552

18.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.90 LKR 630

35.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$2.87 LKR 956

0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

$0.19 LKR 62.4

636.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.38 LKR 126

765.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.29 LKR 96.3

124.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$0.93 LKR 308

774.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$1.39 LKR 461

-28.06%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

-40.30%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$45.0K LKR 15.0M

-50.99%

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

$239 AED 877

$57.4 LKR 19.1K

316.50%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$2.32 LKR 770

2351.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$8.88 LKR 2,951

957.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$4.59 LKR 1,525

253.81%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$40.65 LKR 13.5K

2196.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$17.4K LKR 5.8M

20.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$18.34 LKR 6,099

285.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$17.33 LKR 5,761

253.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

32.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$41.51 LKR 13.8K

179.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

$546 LKR 181.6K

355.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$302 LKR 100.3K

403.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

12.5

-63.44%

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

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Bentota: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Bentota

$302 38.8% 80.1% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Bentota

$69 8.8% 82.4% $321

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Bentota

$103 13.2% 66.4% $204

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Bentota

$223 28.7% 25% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Bentota

$70 9% 55.9% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Bentota

$9.2 * 1.2% 92.6% $114

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Bentota

$2.6 * 0.3% 97.3% $92

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 $2,487 in Dubai and $546 in Bentota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $83 in Dubai vs $12 in Bentota for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $223 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇱🇰 Bentota

🕒 Local time

05:51 5:51 AM

07:21 7:21 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

37,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Bentota 3,360 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Bentota

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 Bentota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bentota is about 73% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,333 in Dubai and $1,166 in Bentota 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,487 in Dubai versus $546 in Bentota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 33% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,889 per month in Dubai versus $777 in Bentota – Bentota is about 73% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $777 in Bentota versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Bentota but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Bentota 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.