Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Giza

For one person, living is cheaper in Giza: $479 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $29,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Giza
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Giza Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Giza

🇪🇬 Egypt

$479

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Giza

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $479 in Giza.

Dubai $2,896
Giza $479

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $757 in Giza.

Dubai $4,384
Giza $757

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $1,034 in Giza.

Dubai $5,872
Giza $1,034

Living in Dubai is roughly 504% more expensive than in Giza, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Giza is 64% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$4.07 E£218

211.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$14.21 E£759

475.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$4.83 E£258

93.37%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$1.24 E£66.3

375.00%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.38 E£20.10

344.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.14 E£7.62

457.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$1.50 E£80.2

810.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$2.78 E£149

385.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$0.84 E£45.12

119.05%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$0.34 E£18.36

341.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$0.67 E£35.83

283.58%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.36 E£72.8

144.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$2.49 E£133

406.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$3.65 E£195

164.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$7.67 E£409

66.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$1.52 E£80.9

71.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$0.57 E£30.34

233.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$0.39 E£21.01

389.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$0.31 E£16.76

341.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$0.44 E£23.23

156.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.42 E£22.59

140.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$0.27 E£14.32

433.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.21 E£11.43

219.05%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$1.87 E£99.8

214.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$4.89 E£261

230.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.02 E£54.6

166.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$1.57 E£83.7

96.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.33 E£17.71

384.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

$8.14 E£435

833.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$0.27 E£14.40

1100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$0.40 E£21.29

77.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$1.85 E£98.7

330.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$0.45 E£24.19

117.78%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$31.6K E£1.7M

-13.28%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$25.0K E£1.3M

-11.94%

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

$249 AED 913

$15.16 E£809

1539.18%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$6.91 E£369

687.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$25.59 E£1,367

257.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$18.37 E£981

462.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$6.72 E£359

529.76%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$3.74 E£200

335.56%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$86.6 E£4,622

874.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$2,386 E£127.4K

665.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$10.28 E£549

551.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$47.74 E£2,549

21.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$158 E£8,438

-35.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$54.9 E£2,933

79.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$155 E£8,265

1446.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$88.3 E£4,713

1636.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$328 E£17.5K

1299.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$153 E£8,153

1825.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$579 E£30.9K

1116.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$285 E£15.2K

1381.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$146 E£7,779

2275.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

22.5

-79.82%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Giza: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Giza

$88 18.4% 94.2% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Giza

$48 9.9% 87.9% $347

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Giza

$77 16.1% 74.7% $228

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Giza

$107 22.3% 63.4% $185

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Giza

$122 25.5% 16.8% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Giza

$26 5.4% 81% $110

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Giza

$12 2.5% 86.8% $77

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,393 in Dubai and $155 in Giza. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 2276% 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: $82.0 in Dubai vs $14.00 in Giza for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $107 per month, with Giza cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇪🇬 Giza

🕒 Local time

03:23 3:23 AM

02:23 2:23 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

2,681,863

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 EGP = 1.87 USD

100 EGP = 1.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Giza 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Giza

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 Giza: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Giza is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 504% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 2276% 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: $2,393 in Dubai versus $155 in Giza. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Giza runs roughly 833% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Childcare runs $844 in Dubai versus $86.6 in Giza. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $479 in Giza versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Giza but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Giza the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Giza 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 Giza 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 Giza gentler on the wallet – expenses run 504% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.