Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Buzau

For one person, living is cheaper in Buzau: $979 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $23,000 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
47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
Learn more

Buzau Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Buzau

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $979 in Buzau.

Dubai $2,896
Buzau $979

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $1,449 in Buzau.

Dubai $4,384
Buzau $1,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $1,919 in Buzau.

Dubai $5,872
Buzau $1,919

Living in Dubai is roughly 196% more expensive than in Buzau, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Buzau is 27% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$10.42 RON 49.30

21.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$24.71 RON 117

230.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$6.30 RON 29.79

48.25%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$2.02 RON 9.58

191.58%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$1.93 RON 9.12

-12.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$1.50 RON 7.08

-48.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$1.66 RON 7.85

722.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$1.71 RON 8.10

688.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.76 RON 8.32

4.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.31 RON 6.21

14.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$1.45 RON 6.84

77.24%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$3.10 RON 14.67

7.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$7.50 RON 35.47

68.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$6.62 RON 31.33

45.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$11.10 RON 52.5

15.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$0.95 RON 4.50

173.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.63 RON 7.72

16.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$1.11 RON 5.25

72.07%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.23 RON 5.83

11.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$0.67 RON 3.18

68.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.78 RON 3.68

29.49%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$0.48 RON 2.28

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.66 RON 3.11

1.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$6.24 RON 29.54

-5.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$6.43 RON 30.42

151.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$0.76 RON 3.58

257.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$1.43 RON 6.77

115.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.66 RON 3.10

142.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$21.60 RON 102

251.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$0.52 RON 2.47

523.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$0.49 RON 2.32

44.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$6.19 RON 29.27

28.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.65 RON 7.81

-40.61%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$19.4K RON 91.7K

41.25%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$21.1K RON 100.0K

4.23%

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

$249 AED 913

$119 RON 563

109.00%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$7.87 RON 37.24

591.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$7.72 RON 36.53

1084.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$32.03 RON 152

222.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$17.85 RON 84.5

137.09%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$6.89 RON 32.60

136.43%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$285 RON 1,348

196.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$6,766 RON 32.0K

169.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$54.5 RON 258

22.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$57.7 RON 273

0.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$97.5 RON 461

4.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$84.1 RON 398

17.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$344 RON 1,629

595.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$292 RON 1,379

425.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$606 RON 2,867

658.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$423 RON 2,002

594.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$1,475 RON 6,976

377.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$1,194 RON 5,648

253.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$850 RON 4,021

307.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

6.97

-34.86%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Buzau: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Buzau

$292 29.8% 81% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Buzau

$134 13.7% 65.9% $260

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Buzau

$152 15.5% 50.2% $153

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Buzau

$196 20% 32.8% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Buzau

$132 13.5% 9.8% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Buzau

$46 4.7% 66.3% $90

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Buzau

$27 2.8% 69.5% $62

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,393 in Dubai and $344 in Buzau. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 307% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $25.00 in Buzau for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $196 per month, with Buzau cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇷🇴 Buzau

🕒 Local time

02:26 2:26 AM

01:26 1:26 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

115,494

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Buzau 3,380 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
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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 Buzau: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai and Buzau differ by about 196% in total monthly costs ($2,896 vs $979 including rent). Buzau is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 307% higher in Dubai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,393 in Dubai versus $344 in Buzau. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 49% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Buzau – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $82.0 in Dubai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $979 in Buzau versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Buzau but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Buzau 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.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Buzau are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Buzau gentler on the wallet – expenses run 196% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.