Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Dibba Al-Fujairah

For one person, living is cheaper in Dibba Al-Fujairah: $1,960 a month against $2,883 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
95

Cost of Living Index in Dibba Al-Fujairah
Learn more

Dibba Al-Fujairah Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Dibba Al-Fujairah

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$1,960

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Dibba Al-Fujairah

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 Dibba Al-Fujairah actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Dubai versus $1,960 in Dibba Al-Fujairah.

Dubai $2,883
Dibba Al-Fujairah $1,960

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,403 in Dubai versus $3,574 in Dibba Al-Fujairah.

Dubai $4,403
Dibba Al-Fujairah $3,574

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,923 in Dubai versus $5,189 in Dibba Al-Fujairah.

Dubai $5,923
Dibba Al-Fujairah $5,189

Living in Dubai is roughly 47% more expensive than in Dibba Al-Fujairah, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 113% above, Dibba Al-Fujairah 45% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.99 AED 47.72

$6.80 AED 24.97

91.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 AED 301

$80.8 AED 297

1.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 AED 35.40

$8.21 AED 30.17

17.42%

Cappuccino

$6.09 AED 22.38

$5.99 AED 22.01

1.67%

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

$1.61 AED 5.93

$0.78 AED 2.87

106.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 AED 2.76

$0.28 AED 1.04

167.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.79 AED 50.6

$13.67 AED 50.2

0.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.41 AED 49.25

$13.67 AED 50.2

-1.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$1.34 AED 4.93

38.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$1.12 AED 4.10

36.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.38

$2.38 AED 8.73

7.14%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.06

$2.14 AED 7.85

53.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 AED 44.57

$12.17 AED 44.70

-0.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 AED 33.62

$6.91 AED 25.38

32.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 AED 47.00

$6.77 AED 24.85

89.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 AED 9.39

$1.59 AED 5.83

61.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.03

$1.33 AED 4.90

43.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$1.85 AED 6.80

-1.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 AED 5.26

$1.32 AED 4.86

8.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.04

$0.84 AED 3.08

30.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$0.79 AED 2.91

16.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 AED 5.58

$1.38 AED 5.06

10.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.54

$0.52 AED 1.92

32.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 AED 23.55

$6.25 AED 22.96

2.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.52 AED 60.7

$16.56 AED 60.8

-0.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.41

$2.71 AED 9.96

-5.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.70 AED 9.93

14.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 AED 5.82

$2.08 AED 7.64

-24.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 AED 279

$37.12 AED 136

104.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 AED 11.72

$1.08 AED 3.96

195.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.62

$0.73 AED 2.69

-2.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 AED 30.13

$8.41 AED 30.87

-2.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 AED 3.73

$0.75 AED 2.76

34.67%

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

$26.1K AED 96.0K

$26.5K AED 97.2K

-1.20%

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

$21.8K AED 80.2K

$21.9K AED 80.4K

-0.16%

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

$245 AED 900

-0.04%

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

$57.5 AED 211

$53.2 AED 195

8.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.3 AED 335

$82.1 AED 301

11.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 AED 385

$57.7 AED 212

81.59%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.58 AED 171

$30.26 AED 111

53.93%

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 AED 58.9

$16.61 AED 61.0

-3.43%

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

$873 AED 3,206

$851 AED 3,124

2.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K AED 66.2K

$5,706 AED 21.0K

215.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 AED 260

$68.6 AED 252

3.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 AED 229

$55.9 AED 205

11.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 AED 390

$103 AED 377

3.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 376

$100 AED 368

2.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 AED 9,014

$808 AED 2,966

203.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 AED 5,545

$808 AED 2,969

86.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,640 AED 17.0K

$1,852 AED 6,803

150.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,961 AED 10.9K

$2,721 AED 9,995

8.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,219 AED 26.5K

$4,788 AED 17.6K

50.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,232 AED 15.5K

$2,612 AED 9,594

62.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 AED 13.2K

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 18, 2026

Last update for Dibba Al-Fujairah: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4%

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$808 41.3% 46.5% $701

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.7%

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$380 19.4% 3.4% $13

Eating Out

Dubai

$311 10.8%

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$251 12.8% 19.4% $60

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$288 10%

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$232 11.8% 19.5% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$154 5.3%

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$147 7.5% 4.2% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$137 4.8%

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$91 4.6% 33.6% $46

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Dibba Al-Fujairah

$50 2.6% 43.6% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,454 in Dubai and $808 in Dibba Al-Fujairah. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $81.0 in Dibba Al-Fujairah for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $232 per month, with Dibba Al-Fujairah cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇦🇪 Dibba Al-Fujairah

🕒 Local time

16:35 4:35 PM

Same time as Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

30,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Dibba Al-Fujairah 130 km

From you

Dubai
Dibba Al-Fujairah

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 Dibba Al-Fujairah: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai and Dibba Al-Fujairah differ by about 47% in total monthly costs ($2,883 vs $1,960 including rent). Dibba Al-Fujairah is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

You'd need roughly $4,324 in Dubai and $2,940 in Dibba Al-Fujairah to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,454 in Dubai versus $808 in Dibba Al-Fujairah. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dibba Al-Fujairah runs roughly 105% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $873 in Dubai versus $851 in Dibba Al-Fujairah. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,960 in Dibba Al-Fujairah versus $2,883 in Dubai, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Dibba Al-Fujairah but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Dibba Al-Fujairah the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Dibba Al-Fujairah are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Dibba Al-Fujairah gentler on the wallet – expenses run 47% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.