Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Best

For one person, living is cheaper in Best: $2,217 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 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
107

Cost of Living Index in Best
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Best Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Best

🇳🇱 Netherlands

$2,217

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Best

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

A single person spends $2,854 per month in Dubai vs $2,217 in Best, rent included.

Dubai $2,854
Best $2,217

A couple spends around $4,321 per month in Dubai vs $3,095 in Best, rent included.

Dubai $4,321
Best $3,095

A family of three spends $5,788 per month in Dubai vs $3,973 in Best, rent included.

Dubai $5,788
Best $3,973

Dubai costs about 29% more than Best, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Dubai and Best sit above the global median – Dubai by 113%, Best by 65%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$22.31 €19.91

-41.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$86.5 €77.2

-5.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$12.25 €10.94

-23.92%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$3.65 €3.26

63.56%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$3.26 €2.91

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$2.48 €2.21

-67.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$5.77 €5.15

136.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$4.90 €4.37

173.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.13 €1.01

60.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$1.89 €1.69

-16.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$2.22 €1.98

12.16%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$3.12 €2.79

5.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$11.28 €10.07

12.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$11.49 €10.26

-15.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$14.84 €13.24

-11.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$2.01 €1.80

29.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$1.60 €1.43

20.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$1.73 €1.54

10.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$4.95 €4.41

-72.53%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$1.17 €1.04

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.19 €1.06

-15.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$1.11 €0.99

36.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.71 €0.63

-12.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$11.21 €10.01

-47.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$5.55 €4.95

190.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$1.51 €1.34

75.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$2.50 €2.23

18.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$2.48 €2.22

-33.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$70.9 €63.3

3.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$3.94 €3.52

-19.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$2.89 €2.57

-75.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$29.72 €26.52

-73.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$2.35 €2.09

-57.87%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$25.6K €22.9K

6.75%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$34.0K €30.3K

-33.67%

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

$250 AED 920

$185 €165

35.29%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$14.56 €12.99

272.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$37.61 €33.56

144.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$40.32 €35.98

144.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$25.33 €22.60

68.22%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$13.97 €12.47

14.75%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$1,298 €1,158

-35.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$5,115 €4,564

257.00%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$51.7 €46.13

31.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$32.89 €29.35

75.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$74.5 €66.5

35.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$57.9 €51.7

74.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$1,544 €1,378

54.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$1,100 €982

36.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$1,975 €1,763

124.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$1,352 €1,206

122.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$5,221 €4,659

36.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$4,354 €3,886

-5.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$4,077 €3,639

-16.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

3.54

28.25%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Best: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Best

$1.1K 49.9% 26.9% $406

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Best

$237 10.8% 40.2% $159

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Best

$321 14.6% 3.9% $12

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Best

$281 12.8% 3.9% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Best

$98 4.4% 33.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Best

$68 3.1% 47.8% $62

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Best

$99 4.5% 14.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,380 in Dubai versus $1,544 in Best. 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 20% higher in Best, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Dubai versus $86.0 in Best. Groceries tell a different story – $293 in Dubai vs $281 in Best – so Best wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇳🇱 Best

🕒 Local time

15:45 3:45 PM

13:45 1:45 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

29,988

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Best 5,110 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Best

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 Best: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 29%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,281 per month in Dubai and $3,325 in Best. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Best, 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 $2,854 in Dubai and $2,217 in Best. That's a gap of about 29%.

Public transport costs about 4% less in Best. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $2,500 monthly budget goes further in Best, where all-in costs run around $2,217, than in Dubai at $2,854. In Best it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Best – 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 Best. 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.