Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Gent

For one person, living is cheaper in Gent: $2,192 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $7,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Dubai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
109

Cost of Living Index in Gent
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Gent Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Gent

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,192

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Gent

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $2,192 in Gent.

Dubai $2,854
Gent $2,192

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $3,416 in Gent.

Dubai $4,321
Gent $3,416

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $4,640 in Gent.

Dubai $5,788
Gent $4,640

Living in Dubai is roughly 30% more expensive than in Gent, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 113% above, Gent 64% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$22.23 €19.84

-41.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$114 €102

-28.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$15.74 €14.05

-40.79%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$4.26 €3.80

40.14%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$3.34 €2.98

-51.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$2.98 €2.66

-72.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$5.56 €4.97

145.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$5.63 €5.02

137.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.18 €1.05

53.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$2.81 €2.51

-44.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$2.18 €1.94

14.22%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$3.98 €3.56

-17.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$18.44 €16.46

-31.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$12.50 €11.16

-22.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$19.94 €17.79

-33.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$2.74 €2.44

-4.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$2.44 €2.18

-20.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$2.61 €2.33

-26.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$2.92 €2.61

-53.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$2.14 €1.91

-45.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.95 €1.74

-48.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$1.34 €1.19

12.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$1.10 €0.98

-43.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$12.90 €11.51

-54.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$8.79 €7.85

83.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$2.00 €1.78

32.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$2.38 €2.13

23.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$3.40 €3.03

-51.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$58.5 €52.2

25.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$11.44 €10.21

-72.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$2.98 €2.66

-76.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$51.6 €46.02

-84.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$2.01 €1.80

-50.75%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$34.9K €31.1K

-21.50%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$33.5K €29.9K

-32.77%

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

$250 AED 920

$226 €202

10.83%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$21.13 €18.85

156.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$47.32 €42.23

93.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$34.93 €31.17

182.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$13.18 €11.76

223.29%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$16.05 €14.32

-0.12%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$563 €503

49.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$21.1K €18.9K

-13.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$107 €95.2

-36.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$47.92 €42.77

20.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$108 €96.7

-7.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$152 €135

-33.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$1,194 €1,065

99.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$880 €786

71.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$1,807 €1,613

145.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$1,558 €1,390

93.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$5,336 €4,761

33.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$3,030 €2,704

36.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$3,564 €3,180

-4.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

3.2

41.87%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Gent: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Gent

$880 39.6% 41.5% $626

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Gent

$294 13.2% 25.7% $102

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Gent

$341 15.3% 10.3% $32

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Gent

$357 16% 21.8% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Gent

$187 8.4% 26.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Gent

$67 3% 48.7% $64

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Gent

$98 4.4% 13.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,380 in Dubai and $1,194 in Gent. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Gent pays 5% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $81.0 in Dubai vs $114 in Gent for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $357 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇧🇪 Gent

🕒 Local time

07:53 7:53 AM

05:53 5:53 AM

2 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

237,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD 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).

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Gent 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Gent

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 Gent: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Gent is cheaper overall, especially in utilities and leisure. The 30% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 5% lower in Gent. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,380 in Dubai versus $1,194 in Gent. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Gent runs roughly 26% 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 $563 in Gent. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $2,192 in Gent versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $2,500 budget is realistic in Gent but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Gent the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Gent 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 Gent 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 Gent gentler on the wallet – expenses run 30% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.