Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Dahab

For one person, living is cheaper in Dahab: $453 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $29,300 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Dahab
Learn more

Dahab Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Dahab

🇪🇬 Egypt

$453

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Dahab

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

A single person spends $2,896 per month in Dubai vs $453 in Dahab, rent included.

Dubai $2,896
Dahab $453

A couple spends around $4,384 per month in Dubai vs $755 in Dahab, rent included.

Dubai $4,384
Dahab $755

A family of three spends $5,872 per month in Dubai vs $1,057 in Dahab, rent included.

Dubai $5,872
Dahab $1,057

Dubai costs about 539% more than Dahab, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 115% above the global median, while Dahab is 66% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$3.70 E£198

242.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$13.14 E£702

521.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$4.64 E£248

101.29%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$1.58 E£84.3

272.78%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.46 E£24.50

267.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.27 E£14.50

188.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$1.95 E£104

600.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$2.34 E£125

476.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$0.97 E£52.0

89.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.12 E£60.0

33.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$0.73 E£38.75

252.05%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.35 E£72.0

145.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$10.63 E£568

18.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$3.88 E£207

148.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$10.65 E£569

20.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$2.33 E£124

11.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.45 E£77.4

31.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$0.63 E£33.55

203.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$0.59 E£31.39

132.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$0.55 E£29.14

105.45%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.59 E£31.72

71.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$0.88 E£47.16

63.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.20 E£10.58

235.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$1.50 E£80.0

292.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$6.79 E£363

137.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.58 E£84.5

72.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.21 E£11.08

661.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$7.56 E£404

904.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$0.77 E£41.30

320.78%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$0.43 E£23.13

127.91%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

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

$249 AED 913

$17.85 E£953

1292.16%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$6.84 E£365

695.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$17.89 E£955

411.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$15.01 E£801

588.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$9.54 E£509

343.61%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$4.80 E£257

239.37%

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

$844 AED 3,098

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$187 E£9,988

1179.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$129 E£6,868

1091.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$529 E£28.2K

769.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$316 E£16.9K

831.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$131 E£6,973

2550.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Dahab: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Dahab

$129 28.4% 91.6% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Dahab

$43 9.4% 89.2% $352

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Dahab

$80 17.6% 73.8% $225

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Dahab

$169 * 37.2% 42.2% $123

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Dahab

- * 0% 100%

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Dahab

$25 5.4% 81.9% $111

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Dahab

$9.2 * 2% 89.7% $80

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,393 in Dubai versus $187 in Dahab. 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 2550% 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 $82.0 in Dubai versus $13.00 in Dahab. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $292 vs $169 – making Dahab the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇪🇬 Dahab

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

10:44 10:44 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

12,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Dahab 2,080 km ≈ 3 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Dahab

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 Dahab: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Dubai is pricier by about 539%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,344 per month in Dubai and $680 in Dahab. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,896 in Dubai and $453 in Dahab. That's a gap of about 539%.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $82.0 in Dubai and $13.00 in Dahab. 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 Dahab, where all-in costs run around $453, than in Dubai at $2,896. In Dahab it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Dahab – 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 Dahab. 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.