Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Cagliari

For one person, living is cheaper in Cagliari: $1,739 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
86

Cost of Living Index in Cagliari
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Cagliari Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Cagliari

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,739

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Cagliari

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

A single person spends $2,854 per month in Dubai vs $1,739 in Cagliari, rent included.

Dubai $2,854
Cagliari $1,739

A couple spends around $4,321 per month in Dubai vs $2,723 in Cagliari, rent included.

Dubai $4,321
Cagliari $2,723

A family of three spends $5,788 per month in Dubai vs $3,708 in Cagliari, rent included.

Dubai $5,788
Cagliari $3,708

Dubai costs about 64% more than Cagliari, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Dubai and Cagliari sit above the global median – Dubai by 113%, Cagliari by 30%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$22.38 €19.97

-41.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$85.5 €76.3

-4.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$11.43 €10.20

-18.46%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$2.09 €1.87

185.65%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$3.24 €2.89

-49.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$1.48 €1.32

-45.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$5.59 €4.99

144.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$4.57 €4.08

192.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.61 €1.44

12.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$2.71 €2.41

-42.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$2.85 €2.55

-12.63%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$3.63 €3.24

-9.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$21.24 €18.96

-40.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$12.23 €10.92

-20.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$22.89 €20.43

-42.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$2.59 €2.31

0.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$1.78 €1.59

8.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$2.31 €2.07

-16.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$3.47 €3.10

-60.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$1.86 €1.66

-37.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$2.25 €2.01

-55.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$1.50 €1.34

0.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.57 €0.51

8.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$7.40 €6.60

-20.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$8.05 €7.18

100.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$1.66 €1.48

59.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$1.76 €1.58

67.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$1.45 €1.29

13.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$38.66 €34.50

90.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$9.72 €8.67

-67.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$1.50 €1.33

-52.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$31.00 €27.67

-74.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$2.08 €1.85

-52.40%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$36.2K €32.3K

-24.33%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$36.0K €32.1K

-37.30%

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

$250 AED 920

$159 €142

57.68%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$8.86 €7.91

512.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$29.95 €26.73

206.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$51.1 €45.56

93.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$24.08 €21.49

76.95%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$11.04 €9.85

45.20%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$522 €466

61.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$7,938 €7,083

130.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$95.6 €85.3

-28.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$42.63 €38.04

35.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$91.7 €81.8

9.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$117 €104

-13.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$861 €768

176.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$621 €554

142.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$1,389 €1,240

219.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$1,013 €904

197.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$3,234 €2,886

120.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$2,373 €2,117

74.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$1,815 €1,620

86.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

3.27

38.84%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cagliari: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Cagliari

$621 35.1% 58.8% $885

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Cagliari

$198 11.2% 50.2% $199

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Cagliari

$294 16.7% 4.6% $14

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Cagliari

$364 20.6% 24.3% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Cagliari

$156 8.8% 5.9% $8.7

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Cagliari

$73 4.1% 44% $58

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Cagliari

$62 3.5% 29.1% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,380 in Dubai versus $861 in Cagliari. 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 87% 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 $85.0 in Cagliari. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $364 – making Dubai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇮🇹 Cagliari

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

13:17 1:17 PM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

154,478

💱 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

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Between locations

Dubai Cagliari 4,560 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Cagliari

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 Cagliari: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 64%, 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 $2,608 in Cagliari. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 90% less in Cagliari. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $843 per month in Dubai and $522 in Cagliari. 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 Cagliari, where all-in costs run around $1,739, than in Dubai at $2,854. In Cagliari it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cagliari – 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 Cagliari. 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.