Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $26,500 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
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Cairo

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

A single person spends $2,854 per month in Dubai vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Dubai $2,854
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $4,321 per month in Dubai vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Dubai $4,321
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $5,788 per month in Dubai vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Dubai $5,788
Cairo $1,431

Dubai costs about 344% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 113% above the global median, while Cairo is 52% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$4.69 E£245

178.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$28.49 E£1,491

185.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$6.03 E£316

54.56%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$1.81 E£94.8

229.83%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$0.35 E£18.18

365.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.15 E£7.95

440.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$1.45 E£76.0

841.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$2.24 E£117

497.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$0.97 E£50.7

86.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$0.73 E£37.97

115.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$0.77 E£40.25

223.38%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$1.17 E£61.2

180.34%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.52

$4.32 E£226

193.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$5.07 E£265

92.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.39

$8.92 E£467

47.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$1.83 E£95.8

42.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$0.75 E£39.08

157.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$0.57 E£29.78

236.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$0.51 E£26.63

166.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$0.38 E£20.06

207.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.42 E£21.89

140.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.35 E£18.43

331.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.24 E£12.57

158.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$1.99 E£104

193.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$7.48 E£391

115.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$1.52 E£79.4

74.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$2.13 E£112

38.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.33 E£17.10

396.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$8.66 E£453

750.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$0.37 E£19.27

756.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$0.20 E£10.65

255.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$1.49 E£77.8

434.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$0.46 E£23.95

115.22%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$32.6K E£1.7M

-16.11%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$28.4K E£1.5M

-20.62%

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

$250 AED 920

$27.54 E£1,441

809.22%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$8.27 E£433

555.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$14.05 E£735

553.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$28.27 E£1,480

248.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$6.70 E£350

535.97%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$4.40 E£230

264.32%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$121 E£6,357

594.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$3,619 E£189.4K

404.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$40.16 E£2,102

69.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 212

$49.61 E£2,596

16.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$115 E£6,034

-12.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$60.6 E£3,170

66.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$220 E£11.5K

982.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$194 E£10.2K

675.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$514 E£26.9K

763.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$334 E£17.5K

802.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$806 E£42.2K

783.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$513 E£26.9K

705.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$200 E£10.5K

1593.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

16.21

-71.99%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 87.1% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 87.4% $347

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 70.5% $218

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 51.7% $151

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 18.9% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 71.6% $94

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 86.9% $76

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,380 in Dubai versus $220 in Cairo. 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 1594% 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 $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

06:07 6:07 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, 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).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.33 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.69 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Cairo 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Cairo

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 Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 344%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,281 per month in Dubai and $965 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 107% more in Dubai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Dubai and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Dubai at $2,854. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – 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 Cairo. 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.