Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Galati

For one person, living is cheaper in Galati: $1,060 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $21,500 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Galati
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Galati Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Galati

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,060

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Galati

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $1,060 in Galati.

Dubai $2,854
Galati $1,060

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $1,604 in Galati.

Dubai $4,321
Galati $1,604

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $2,148 in Galati.

Dubai $5,788
Galati $2,148

Living in Dubai is roughly 169% more expensive than in Galati, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Galati is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$10.30 RON 48.72

26.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$42.07 RON 199

93.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$7.17 RON 33.90

29.99%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$2.53 RON 11.97

135.97%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$2.13 RON 10.06

-23.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$1.82 RON 8.62

-55.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$2.11 RON 9.99

546.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$3.20 RON 15.15

318.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.24 RON 5.87

45.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$0.66 RON 3.13

137.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$1.74 RON 8.21

43.10%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$3.49 RON 16.51

-6.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$7.76 RON 36.69

63.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$5.88 RON 27.79

65.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$8.53 RON 40.33

54.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$1.32 RON 6.25

97.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$1.65 RON 7.80

16.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$1.57 RON 7.42

22.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$1.78 RON 8.42

-23.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$0.96 RON 4.56

21.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.02 RON 4.82

-0.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.80 RON 3.80

88.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.67 RON 3.16

-7.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$5.79 RON 27.40

1.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$5.29 RON 25.03

205.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$0.95 RON 4.51

178.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$1.19 RON 5.65

147.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.75 RON 3.56

118.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$24.50 RON 116

200.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$0.62 RON 2.92

411.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$0.70 RON 3.32

1.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$6.94 RON 32.83

14.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$1.76 RON 8.31

-43.75%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$28.3K RON 133.8K

-3.21%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$25.0K RON 118.2K

-9.79%

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

$250 AED 920

$151 RON 714

65.98%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$7.58 RON 35.87

615.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$7.84 RON 37.11

1070.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$38.52 RON 182

156.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$34.79 RON 165

22.48%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$6.14 RON 29.04

161.07%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$587 RON 2,777

43.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$5,028 RON 23.8K

263.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$97.2 RON 460

-30.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$31.64 RON 150

82.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$61.8 RON 292

62.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$84.6 RON 400

19.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$381 RON 1,800

525.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$323 RON 1,526

366.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$783 RON 3,705

466.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$571 RON 2,703

426.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$1,622 RON 7,672

339.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$1,250 RON 5,914

230.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$903 RON 4,270

275.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

7.2

-36.94%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Galati: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Galati

$323 30.8% 78.6% $1.2K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Galati

$166 15.9% 58.1% $230

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Galati

$167 16% 45.9% $142

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Galati

$184 17.6% 37.2% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Galati

$124 11.8% 16% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Galati

$51 4.9% 61.1% $80

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Galati

$32 3% 63.6% $55

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,380 in Dubai and $381 in Galati. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 276% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $81.0 in Dubai vs $42.00 in Galati for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $184 per month, with Galati cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇷🇴 Galati

🕒 Local time

10:46 10:46 AM

09:46 9:46 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

249,432

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.189 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, 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).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.3 RON (1 RON = 0.189 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Galati 3,320 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Galati

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 Galati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Galati is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 169% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 276% higher in Dubai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,380 in Dubai versus $381 in Galati. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Galati runs roughly 200% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $843 in Dubai versus $587 in Galati. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,060 in Galati versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Galati but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Galati the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Galati is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Dubai, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Galati 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 Galati gentler on the wallet – expenses run 169% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.