Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Hurghada

For one person, living is cheaper in Hurghada: $473 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $28,600 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Hurghada
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Hurghada Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Hurghada

🇪🇬 Egypt

$473

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Hurghada

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $473 in Hurghada.

Dubai $2,854
Hurghada $473

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $963 in Hurghada.

Dubai $4,321
Hurghada $963

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $1,453 in Hurghada.

Dubai $5,788
Hurghada $1,453

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

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Hurghada is 65% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$3.88 E£203

236.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$39.97 E£2,091

103.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$5.82 E£304

60.14%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$1.94 E£102

207.73%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$0.48 E£25.05

239.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.20 E£10.35

305.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$1.92 E£101

610.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$3.12 E£163

328.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$0.94 E£49.30

92.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$0.78 E£40.66

101.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$0.60 E£31.59

315.00%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$1.92 E£101

70.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$3.25 E£170

289.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$5.87 E£307

66.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$9.62 E£503

37.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$1.42 E£74.4

83.80%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$0.48 E£24.94

302.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$0.41 E£21.47

368.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$0.43 E£22.52

216.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$0.34 E£17.81

244.12%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$0.41 E£21.42

146.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.27 E£13.97

459.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.18 E£9.52

244.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$2.14 E£112

173.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$7.43 E£389

117.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$1.21 E£63.3

119.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$1.74 E£91.2

69.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.20 E£10.27

720.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$5.72 E£299

1186.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$0.98 E£51.4

223.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$0.20 E£10.37

255.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$1.93 E£101

312.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$0.45 E£23.69

120.00%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$31.8K E£1.7M

-13.88%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$22.3K E£1.2M

0.90%

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

$250 AED 920

$24.80 E£1,298

909.68%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$7.72 E£404

602.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$9.60 E£502

856.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$27.21 E£1,424

262.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

$5.99 E£313

611.35%

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$3.36 E£176

377.08%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$99.9 E£5,229

743.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$604 E£31.6K

2923.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$20.13 E£1,053

237.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$32.96 E£1,724

75.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$28.43 E£1,487

255.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$213 E£11.2K

1015.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$119 E£6,245

1161.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$216 E£11.3K

1952.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$555 E£29.0K

442.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$553 E£28.9K

1188.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$602 E£31.5K

586.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$154 E£8,082

2094.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Hurghada: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Hurghada

$119 25.4% 92.1% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Hurghada

$42 9% 89.4% $354

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Hurghada

$90 19.3% 70.7% $218

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Hurghada

$139 29.5% 52.7% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Hurghada

$37 * 7.8% 75.1% $111

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Hurghada

$34 7.2% 74% $97

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Hurghada

$8.5 1.8% 90.2% $78

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 $2,380 in Dubai and $213 in Hurghada. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 2095% 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: $81.0 in Dubai vs $40.00 in Hurghada for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $139 per month, with Hurghada cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇪🇬 Hurghada

🕒 Local time

09:45 9:45 AM

08:45 8:45 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

160,901

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Hurghada 2,140 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Hurghada

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 Hurghada: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Hurghada 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 2095% 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: $2,380 in Dubai versus $213 in Hurghada. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Hurghada runs roughly 1187% 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 $99.9 in Hurghada. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $473 in Hurghada versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Hurghada but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Hurghada the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Hurghada 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 Hurghada 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 Hurghada 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.