Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Hawassa

For one person, living is cheaper in Hawassa: $834 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Hawassa
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Hawassa Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Hawassa

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$834

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Hawassa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $834 in Hawassa.

Dubai $2,896
Hawassa $834

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,384 in Dubai versus $1,199 in Hawassa.

Dubai $4,384
Hawassa $1,199

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,872 in Dubai versus $1,564 in Hawassa.

Dubai $5,872
Hawassa $1,564

Living in Dubai is roughly 247% more expensive than in Hawassa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 115% above, Hawassa is 38% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.67 AED 46.55

$3.90 ETB 625

224.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.7 AED 300

$42.11 ETB 6,758

94.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.34 AED 34.30

$6.56 ETB 1,054

42.38%

Cappuccino

$5.89 AED 21.62

$0.95 ETB 153

520.00%

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

$1.69 AED 6.20

$0.63 ETB 102

168.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.78 AED 2.86

$0.69 ETB 110

13.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.66 AED 50.2

$0.83 ETB 133

1545.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.49 AED 49.54

$2.30 ETB 370

486.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 AED 6.78

$1.07 ETB 172

71.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 AED 5.50

$1.17 ETB 188

28.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.57 AED 9.45

$1.01 ETB 163

154.46%

Eggs

$3.32 AED 12.18

$1.58 ETB 253

110.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.60 AED 46.28

$7.40 ETB 1,188

70.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.66 AED 35.46

$10.07 ETB 1,616

-4.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.78 AED 46.93

$9.09 ETB 1,458

40.59%

Apples (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.54

$5.35 ETB 859

-51.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.99

$0.68 ETB 109

179.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.02

$2.13 ETB 341

-10.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 AED 5.02

$0.66 ETB 106

107.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 AED 4.14

$0.50 ETB 80.5

126.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.06 ETB 169

-4.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.44 AED 5.30

$0.69 ETB 110

108.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.48

$0.57 ETB 91.3

17.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 AED 21.59

$8.18 ETB 1,312

-28.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.15 AED 59.3

$5.55 ETB 891

190.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.72 AED 10.00

$0.66 ETB 106

312.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$1.28 ETB 206

140.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.60 AED 5.87

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$76.0 AED 279

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.24 AED 11.91

$1.31 ETB 210

147.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.61

$0.27 ETB 42.86

162.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.22

$2.03 ETB 326

292.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 AED 3.62

$0.92 ETB 147

6.52%

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

$27.4K AED 100.6K

$54.6K ETB 8.8M

-49.85%

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

$22.0K AED 80.9K

$56.4K ETB 9.0M

-60.92%

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

$249 AED 913

$202 ETB 32.5K

22.91%

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

$54.4 AED 200

$7.21 ETB 1,158

654.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.5 AED 336

$213 ETB 34.2K

-57.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$103 AED 380

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.32 AED 155

Cinema Ticket

$16.29 AED 59.8

$3.84 ETB 616

324.22%

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

$844 AED 3,098

$136 ETB 21.9K

518.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$30.2K ETB 4.9M

-39.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.0 AED 246

$33.37 ETB 5,356

100.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$70.7 ETB 11.3K

-18.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 AED 375

$78.6 ETB 12.6K

29.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$98.7 AED 363

$83.6 ETB 13.4K

18.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,393 AED 8,788

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,533 AED 5,630

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,594 AED 16.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,939 AED 10.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,046 AED 25.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,222 AED 15.5K

$494 ETB 79.3K

754.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,461 AED 12.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

18.5

-75.46%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 10, 2026

Last update for Hawassa: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.9%

Hawassa

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.6%

Hawassa

$423 50.6% 7.2% $28

Eating Out

Dubai

$305 10.5%

Hawassa

$76 9.2% 75% $229

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$292 10.1%

Hawassa

$205 24.6% 29.6% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Hawassa

$120 14.4% 18.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$136 4.7%

Hawassa

$7.7 * 0.9% 94.4% $128

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Hawassa

$2.6 * 0.3% 97% $86

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $82.0 in Dubai vs $42.00 in Hawassa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $292 vs $205 per month, with Hawassa cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇪🇹 Hawassa

🕒 Local time

11:09 11:09 AM

10:09 10:09 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

160,000

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ETB, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.13 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 160 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.23 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.54 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Hawassa 2,680 km ≈ 3 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Hawassa

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 Hawassa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hawassa is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 247% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You'd need roughly $4,344 in Dubai and $1,252 in Hawassa 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 42% 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 $834 in Hawassa – a 247% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $834 in Hawassa versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Hawassa but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Hawassa the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Hawassa 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 Hawassa 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 Hawassa gentler on the wallet – expenses run 247% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.