Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Burgas

For one person, living is cheaper in Burgas: $1,222 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $19,600 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Burgas
Learn more

Burgas Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Burgas

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$1,222

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Burgas

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

A single person spends $2,854 per month in Dubai vs $1,222 in Burgas, rent included.

Dubai $2,854
Burgas $1,222

A couple spends around $4,321 per month in Dubai vs $1,858 in Burgas, rent included.

Dubai $4,321
Burgas $1,858

A family of three spends $5,788 per month in Dubai vs $2,494 in Burgas, rent included.

Dubai $5,788
Burgas $2,494

Dubai costs about 133% more than Burgas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Dubai sits 113% above the global median, while Burgas is 9% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$14.12 BGN 24.71

-7.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$46.72 BGN 81.8

74.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$11.41 BGN 19.97

-18.32%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$3.31 BGN 5.79

80.36%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$1.00 BGN 1.75

63.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.70 BGN 1.23

15.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$1.95 BGN 3.42

600.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$2.85 BGN 4.99

369.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.64 BGN 2.86

10.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$1.03 BGN 1.81

52.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$2.03 BGN 3.55

22.66%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$3.40 BGN 5.95

-3.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$10.30 BGN 18.03

23.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$9.31 BGN 16.29

4.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$11.69 BGN 20.45

12.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$2.28 BGN 3.98

14.47%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$2.01 BGN 3.51

-3.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$2.08 BGN 3.63

-7.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$2.50 BGN 4.38

-45.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$1.62 BGN 2.83

-27.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.45 BGN 2.53

-30.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$1.00 BGN 1.74

51.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.91 BGN 1.59

-31.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$3.52 BGN 6.16

66.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$6.76 BGN 11.82

138.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$1.00 BGN 1.76

165.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$1.89 BGN 3.30

56.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.87 BGN 1.51

88.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$34.88 BGN 61.0

111.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$1.69 BGN 2.96

87.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$0.74 BGN 1.29

-4.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$12.20 BGN 21.35

-34.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$1.72 BGN 3.00

-42.44%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$30.2K BGN 52.9K

-9.46%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$22.9K BGN 40.0K

-1.46%

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

$250 AED 920

$103 BGN 179

144.15%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$14.51 BGN 25.40

273.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$11.83 BGN 20.70

675.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$38.63 BGN 67.6

155.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$14.44 BGN 25.27

195.08%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$8.74 BGN 15.30

83.41%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$231 BGN 404

265.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$14.7K BGN 25.8K

23.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$58.9 BGN 103

15.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$28.87 BGN 50.5

100.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$71.0 BGN 124

41.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$74.0 BGN 130

36.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$537 BGN 940

342.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$441 BGN 771

241.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$808 BGN 1,414

448.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$625 BGN 1,093

381.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$2,571 BGN 4,499

176.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$1,935 BGN 3,386

113.72%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$1,008 BGN 1,765

236.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

3.25

39.69%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Burgas: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Burgas

$441 35.7% 70.7% $1.1K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Burgas

$129 10.5% 67.5% $268

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Burgas

$209 17% 32.2% $100

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Burgas

$250 20.3% 14.6% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Burgas

$105 8.5% 28.9% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Burgas

$56 4.6% 57.1% $75

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Burgas

$44 3.6% 49.7% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,380 in Dubai versus $537 in Burgas. 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 236% 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 $81.0 in Dubai versus $47.00 in Burgas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $250 – making Burgas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇧🇬 Burgas

🕒 Local time

12:16 12:16 PM

11:16 11:16 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

189,741

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1 BGN = 0.571 USD

1 BGN = 0.509 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR 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).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1.75 BGN (1 BGN = 0.571 USD). 1 EUR = 1.96 BGN (1 BGN = 0.509 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Burgas 3,190 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Burgas

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 Burgas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,854 in Dubai, $1,222 in Burgas – roughly 133% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in utilities.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,281 per month in Dubai and $1,834 in Burgas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 111% less in Burgas. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $843 per month in Dubai and $231 in Burgas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Burgas, where all-in costs run around $1,222, than in Dubai at $2,854. In Burgas it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dubai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $1,222 in Burgas to $2,854 in Dubai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Burgas. 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.