Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Delhi

For one person, living is cheaper in Delhi: $520 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $28,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Delhi
Learn more

Delhi Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Delhi

🇮🇳 India

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Delhi

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

A single person spends $2,854 per month in Dubai vs $520 in Delhi, rent included.

Dubai $2,854
Delhi $520

A couple spends around $4,321 per month in Dubai vs $858 in Delhi, rent included.

Dubai $4,321
Delhi $858

A family of three spends $5,788 per month in Dubai vs $1,195 in Delhi, rent included.

Dubai $5,788
Delhi $1,195

Dubai costs about 449% more than Delhi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Dubai sits 113% above the global median, while Delhi is 61% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$3.67 ₹355

255.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$20.95 ₹2,027

288.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$3.74 ₹362

149.20%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$2.33 ₹226

156.22%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$0.37 ₹35.82

340.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.20 ₹18.91

305.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$2.02 ₹195

575.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$3.19 ₹308

319.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$0.68 ₹65.9

166.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$0.52 ₹50.2

201.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$0.83 ₹80.0

200.00%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$1.07 ₹104

206.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$4.43 ₹428

186.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$3.37 ₹326

189.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$1.99 ₹192

31.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$0.72 ₹70.1

168.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$1.02 ₹98.4

88.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$0.52 ₹50.1

161.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$0.27 ₹25.96

333.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.37 ₹35.42

172.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.43 ₹41.64

251.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.31 ₹30.39

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$4.92 ₹476

18.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$8.34 ₹808

93.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$1.64 ₹159

61.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$2.70 ₹261

9.26%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$6.15 ₹596

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.46 ₹44.04

256.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$15.29 ₹1,480

381.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$1.03 ₹99.8

207.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$0.27 ₹26.38

162.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$1.53 ₹148

420.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$1.05 ₹102

-5.71%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$10.5K ₹1.0M

161.58%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$18.4K ₹1.8M

22.72%

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

$250 AED 920

$42.67 ₹4,129

486.83%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$4.04 ₹391

1242.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$6.75 ₹653

1259.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$19.40 ₹1,878

408.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$8.06 ₹780

428.66%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$5.08 ₹492

215.55%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$100 ₹9,696

741.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$2,268 ₹219.5K

705.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$24.14 ₹2,336

181.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$28.38 ₹2,747

103.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$53.3 ₹5,160

88.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$44.13 ₹4,271

128.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$264 ₹25.5K

801.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$154 ₹14.9K

877.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$736 ₹71.2K

502.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$397 ₹38.5K

657.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$2,494 ₹241.4K

185.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$1,017 ₹98.4K

306.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$585 ₹56.7K

479.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

8.33

-45.50%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Delhi: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Delhi

$154 29.7% 89.8% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Delhi

$53 10.3% 86.5% $343

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Delhi

$87 16.8% 71.7% $221

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Delhi

$108 20.8% 63.1% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Delhi

$67 13% 54.2% $80

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Delhi

$30 5.7% 77.4% $101

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Delhi

$20 3.8% 77.6% $67

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,380 in Dubai versus $264 in Delhi. 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 479% 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 $21.00 in Delhi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $293 vs $108 – making Delhi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇮🇳 Delhi

🕒 Local time

09:16 9:16 AM

10:46 10:46 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

16,787,941 Capital

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.33 USD

1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 96.78 INR (100 INR = 1.03 USD). 1 EUR = 109 INR (1,000 INR = 9.21 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Delhi 2,220 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Delhi

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 Delhi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $2,854 in Dubai, $520 in Delhi – roughly 449% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,281 per month in Dubai and $780 in Delhi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81.0 in Dubai and $21.00 in Delhi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,854 in Dubai and $520 in Delhi. That's a gap of about 449%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Delhi, where all-in costs run around $520, than in Dubai at $2,854. In Delhi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Dubai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Dubai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $520 in Delhi to $2,854 in Dubai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Delhi. 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.