Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Ibb

For one person, living is cheaper in Ibb: $897 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $23,500 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Ibb
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Ibb Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Ibb

🇾🇪 Yemen

$897

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Ibb

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $897 in Ibb.

Dubai $2,854
Ibb $897

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $1,452 in Ibb.

Dubai $4,321
Ibb $1,452

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $2,008 in Ibb.

Dubai $5,788
Ibb $2,008

Living in Dubai is roughly 218% more expensive than in Ibb, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Ibb is 33% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$6.26 YER 1,475

108.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

$19.41 YER 4,576

319.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

$8.87 YER 2,092

5.07%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 YER 484

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 YER 605

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$3.75 YER 885

59.20%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$1.18 YER 277

38.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.48 YER 113

68.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$2.01 YER 473

-9.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$1.02 YER 240

53.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$2.08 YER 492

19.71%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$3.60 YER 850

-8.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

$14.13 YER 3,332

-10.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$8.44 YER 1,990

15.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$18.96 YER 4,470

-30.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$3.45 YER 814

-24.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$1.05 YER 246

83.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$2.16 YER 509

-11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$1.73 YER 407

-21.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$1.47 YER 346

-20.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$1.37 YER 322

-26.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

$0.87 YER 205

73.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.68 YER 160

-8.82%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$2.52 YER 594

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 YER 424

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 YER 609

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

$3.89 YER 918

50.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

$2.13 YER 503

48.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

$2.56 YER 604

-72.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$7.20 YER 1,698

10.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$2.07 YER 487

-52.17%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$16.8K YER 4.0M

63.07%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$34.5K YER 8.1M

-34.70%

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

$250 AED 920

$62.5 YER 14.7K

300.70%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$16.18 YER 3,816

235.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$29.80 YER 7,026

208.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

$6.10 YER 1,439

162.79%

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

$843 AED 3,098

$25.06 YER 5,908

3265.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

$2,150 YER 507.0K

749.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

$29.77 YER 7,021

128.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$121 YER 28.5K

-52.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$47.55 YER 11.2K

111.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$40.23 YER 9,486

151.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$315 YER 74.4K

654.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$251 YER 59.2K

499.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$755 YER 177.9K

487.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$635 YER 149.7K

374.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$365 YER 86.1K

828.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

11.25

-59.64%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Ibb: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Ibb

$251 28.7% 83.3% $1.3K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Ibb

$108 12.4% 72.6% $288

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Ibb

$128 14.6% 58.4% $180

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Ibb

$254 29% 13.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Ibb

$107 12.2% 27.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Ibb

$12 * 1.4% 90.7% $118

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Ibb

$15 * 1.7% 82.8% $72

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 $315 in Ibb. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 828% 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 $19.00 in Ibb for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $293 vs $254 per month, with Ibb cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇾🇪 Ibb

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

13:25 1:25 PM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

208,844

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Yemeni Rial YER ﷼

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1,000 YER = 4.24 USD

1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

YER, 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).

Yemeni Rial exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 236 YER (1,000 YER = 4.24 USD). 1 EUR = 264 YER (1,000 YER = 3.78 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

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Dubai Ibb 1,690 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

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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 Ibb: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ibb is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 218% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 828% 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 $315 in Ibb. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 15% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $2,854 per month in Dubai versus $897 in Ibb – a 218% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $897 in Ibb versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Ibb but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Ibb the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Ibb 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 Ibb 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 Ibb gentler on the wallet – expenses run 218% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.