Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Hat Yai

For one person, living is cheaper in Hat Yai: $731 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $26,000 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Hat Yai
Learn more

Hat Yai Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Hat Yai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$731

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Hat Yai

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $731 in Hat Yai.

Dubai $2,896
Hat Yai $731

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $1,300 in Hat Yai.

Dubai $4,384
Hat Yai $1,300

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $1,870 in Hat Yai.

Dubai $5,872
Hat Yai $1,870

Living in Dubai is roughly 296% more expensive than in Hat Yai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Hat Yai is 46% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$2.90 ฿96.9

336.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$43.67 ฿1,460

87.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$3.66 ฿122

155.19%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$2.88 ฿96.3

104.51%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$1.33 ฿44.34

27.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.56 ฿18.60

39.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$1.80 ฿60.1

658.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$3.46 ฿116

289.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.45 ฿48.55

26.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.25 ฿41.68

20.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$1.24 ฿41.28

107.26%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$2.51 ฿83.9

32.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$22.15 ฿740

-43.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$2.24 ฿74.7

331.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$11.19 ฿374

14.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$2.54 ฿84.8

2.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$1.38 ฿46.10

37.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$1.89 ฿63.3

1.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$1.80 ฿60.3

-23.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$1.46 ฿48.94

-22.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.03 ฿34.38

-1.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$1.07 ฿35.74

34.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.41 ฿13.57

63.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$4.36 ฿146

34.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$15.03 ฿502

7.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$1.77 ฿59.2

53.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$1.99 ฿66.4

54.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

$0.57 ฿18.98

180.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$1.25 ฿41.71

159.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$1.13 ฿37.78

-37.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$4.94 ฿165

61.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$1.29 ฿43.15

-24.03%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$18.9K ฿630.6K

45.13%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$45.1K ฿1.5M

-51.17%

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

$249 AED 913

$84.4 ฿2,819

194.57%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$11.75 ฿393

363.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$9.65 ฿322

847.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

$48.45 ฿1,619

113.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

$14.10 ฿471

200.14%

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$7.19 ฿240

126.56%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$562 ฿18.8K

50.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$10.7K ฿357.3K

70.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$37.54 ฿1,255

78.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$26.26 ฿878

120.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$70.9 ฿2,369

44.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$97.3 ฿3,250

1.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

$270 ฿9,010

787.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

$107 ฿3,576

1332.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

$729 ฿24.4K

529.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

$397 ฿13.3K

640.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

$1,915 ฿64.0K

267.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$1,584 ฿52.9K

166.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

$452 ฿15.1K

666.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

6.36

-28.62%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hat Yai: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Hat Yai

$107 14.7% 93% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Hat Yai

$106 14.5% 73.2% $289

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Hat Yai

$92 12.6% 69.8% $213

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Hat Yai

$249 34.1% 14.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Hat Yai

$104 14.3% 28.8% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Hat Yai

$63 8.6% 53.8% $73

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Hat Yai

$9.2 * 1.3% 89.7% $80

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,393 in Dubai and $270 in Hat Yai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 666% 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 $44.00 in Hat Yai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $249 per month, with Hat Yai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇹🇭 Hat Yai

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

07:50 7:50 AM

3 h ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

156,802

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Hat Yai 5,210 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Hat Yai

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 Hat Yai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hat Yai is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 296% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 666% 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 $270 in Hat Yai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,896 per month in Dubai versus $731 in Hat Yai – a 296% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $731 in Hat Yai versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Hat Yai but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Hat Yai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Hat Yai 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 Hat Yai 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 Hat Yai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 296% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.