Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Gampaha

For one person, living is cheaper in Gampaha: $468 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $29,100 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Gampaha
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Gampaha Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Gampaha

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$468

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Gampaha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $468 in Gampaha.

Dubai $2,889
Gampaha $468

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $745 in Gampaha.

Dubai $4,444
Gampaha $745

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $1,023 in Gampaha.

Dubai $5,999
Gampaha $1,023

Living in Dubai is roughly 518% more expensive than in Gampaha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 114% above, Gampaha is 65% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$1.87 LKR 623

591.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$18.38 LKR 6,111

352.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$5.35 LKR 1,779

74.77%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.59

$1.24 LKR 413

374.19%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.57 LKR 191

175.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.25 LKR 82.7

276.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.37

$2.03 LKR 676

562.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$3.07 LKR 1,022

342.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$1.62 LKR 540

14.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.41 LKR 135

280.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$0.80 LKR 267

230.00%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$1.27 LKR 421

177.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$15.51 LKR 5,158

-16.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$3.98 LKR 1,323

149.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

$7.62 LKR 2,533

69.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$6.69 LKR 2,225

-61.88%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$0.86 LKR 288

138.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$4.13 LKR 1,372

-55.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$1.33 LKR 442

15.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$1.04 LKR 346

12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.82 LKR 273

24.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$1.22 LKR 404

28.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.42 LKR 140

59.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$10.14 LKR 3,371

-37.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$13.68 LKR 4,549

18.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.97 LKR 655

30.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$2.91 LKR 968

-0.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.37 LKR 124

789.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.34 LKR 112

91.18%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$0.88 LKR 293

823.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$1.10 LKR 367

-9.09%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$43.8K LKR 14.6M

-40.02%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$46.5K LKR 15.5M

-52.62%

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

$239 AED 877

$58.1 LKR 19.3K

311.40%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$4.15 LKR 1,381

1270.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$21.00 LKR 6,983

347.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$4.55 LKR 1,512

256.92%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$40.59 LKR 13.5K

2200.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

21.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$17.97 LKR 5,975

293.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$17.54 LKR 5,831

249.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$78.7 LKR 26.2K

30.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$42.21 LKR 14.0K

175.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

12.5

-63.44%

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

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Gampaha: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Gampaha

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Gampaha

$83 17.8% 78.6% $306

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Gampaha

$66 14% 78.6% $241

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Gampaha

$237 50.8% 20.1% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Gampaha

$70 15.1% 55.4% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Gampaha

$9.1 * 1.9% 92.6% $114

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Gampaha

$2.1 * 0.4% 97.8% $93

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $83 in Dubai vs $18 in Gampaha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $237 per month, with Gampaha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇱🇰 Gampaha

🕒 Local time

08:10 8:10 AM

09:40 9:40 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

20,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, 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 = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Gampaha 3,310 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Gampaha

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 Gampaha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gampaha is about 84% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,333 in Dubai and $702 in Gampaha 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,889 per month in Dubai versus $468 in Gampaha – Gampaha is about 84% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $468 in Gampaha versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Gampaha but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Gampaha 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.