Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Chittagong

For one person, living is cheaper in Chittagong: $373 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $30,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
18

Cost of Living Index in Chittagong
Learn more

Chittagong Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Chittagong

🇧🇩 Bangladesh

$373

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Chittagong

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

A single person spends $2,889 per month in Dubai vs $373 in Chittagong, rent included.

Dubai $2,889
Chittagong $373

A couple spends around $4,444 per month in Dubai vs $629 in Chittagong, rent included.

Dubai $4,444
Chittagong $629

A family of three spends $5,999 per month in Dubai vs $885 in Chittagong, rent included.

Dubai $5,999
Chittagong $885

Dubai costs about 675% more than Chittagong, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 114% above the global median, while Chittagong is 72% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$2.02 ৳253

540.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$12.17 ৳1,519

583.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$5.21 ৳650

79.46%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ৳324

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.99 ৳498

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.60

$1.99 ৳248

195.48%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.38 ৳48.02

313.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.12 ৳15.05

683.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.38

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$0.75 ৳93.9

148.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.56 ৳69.4

178.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$0.62 ৳77.8

325.81%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$1.10 ৳137

220.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$7.52 ৳938

72.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$2.06 ৳257

382.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

$7.43 ৳927

73.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$2.24 ৳279

13.84%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$0.83 ৳103

146.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$1.99 ৳248

-7.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$0.79 ৳99.0

94.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$0.44 ৳54.8

165.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.77 ৳96.3

32.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$0.46 ৳57.0

241.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.30 ৳37.18

123.33%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$4.25 ৳530

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ৳102

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 ৳176

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$2.87 ৳358

119.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

$0.09 ৳11.12

1455.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

$4.90 ৳611

1582.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.77 ৳96.0

327.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.58 ৳72.2

12.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$3.99 ৳498

103.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$1.14 ৳143

-12.28%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$31.9K ৳4.0M

-17.64%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$44.6K ৳5.6M

-50.56%

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

$239 AED 877

$29.26 ৳3,652

716.34%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$5.54 ৳691

926.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$12.38 ৳1,545

658.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

$19.93 ৳2,488

355.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

$13.91 ৳1,737

233.43%

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$3.67 ৳458

342.51%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$34.56 ৳4,314

2601.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$1,446 ৳180.5K

1346.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$22.57 ৳2,817

213.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$19.67 ৳2,455

211.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$56.0 ৳6,994

83.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$34.80 ৳4,343

233.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

$123 ৳15.4K

1914.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$60.6 ৳7,567

2406.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

$306 ৳38.2K

1610.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

$163 ৳20.4K

1756.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

$782 ৳97.7K

792.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

$469 ৳58.5K

845.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

$273 ৳34.1K

1201.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

11.5

-60.26%

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

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chittagong: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Chittagong

$61 16.3% 96% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Chittagong

$47 12.7% 87.9% $342

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Chittagong

$58 15.5% 81.2% $249

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Chittagong

$111 29.9% 62.5% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Chittagong

$60 16.1% 62.1% $98

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Chittagong

$27 7.3% 77.9% $96

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Chittagong

$8.9 2.4% 90.6% $86

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,487 in Dubai versus $123 in Chittagong. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Dubai are about 13 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $83 in Dubai versus $12 in Chittagong. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $297 vs $111 – making Chittagong the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇧🇩 Chittagong

🕒 Local time

00:49 12:49 AM

02:49 2:49 AM

2 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

2,592,439

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Bangladeshi Taka BDT ৳

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.244 EUR

1,000 BDT = 8.01 USD

1,000 BDT = 7.17 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BDT, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.1 AED (1 AED = 0.244 EUR).

Bangladeshi Taka exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 125 BDT (1,000 BDT = 8.01 USD). 1 EUR = 139 BDT (1,000 BDT = 7.17 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Chittagong 3,730 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Chittagong

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 Chittagong: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,889 in Dubai, $373 in Chittagong – Chittagong comes out roughly 87% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,333 per month in Dubai and $559 in Chittagong. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chittagong, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $123 there versus $2,487 in Dubai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,889 in Dubai and $373 in Chittagong. That makes Chittagong about 87% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 94% less in Chittagong. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,200 monthly budget goes further in Chittagong, where all-in costs run around $373, than in Dubai at $2,889. In Chittagong it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Chittagong – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Chittagong. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Dubai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.