Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Ilesha

For one person, living is cheaper in Ilesha: $477 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 Ilesha
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Ilesha Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Ilesha

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Ilesha

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $477 in Ilesha.

Dubai $2,896
Ilesha $477

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,468 in Dubai versus $804 in Ilesha.

Dubai $4,468
Ilesha $804

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,040 in Dubai versus $1,131 in Ilesha.

Dubai $6,040
Ilesha $1,131

Living in Dubai is roughly 507% more expensive than in Ilesha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.73 AED 46.74

$3.63 ₦4,859

250.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 AED 299

$49.95 ₦66.9K

63.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.68 AED 35.55

$7.33 ₦9,819

32.06%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$2.74 ₦3,679

117.88%

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

$1.66 AED 6.10

$0.41 ₦548

304.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 AED 3.00

$0.22 ₦294

272.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.38 AED 49.13

$1.02 ₦1,364

1211.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.60 AED 49.94

$2.05 ₦2,744

563.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.66

$3.09 ₦4,148

-41.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 AED 5.68

$1.48 ₦1,990

4.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.57

$1.27 ₦1,697

104.72%

Eggs

$3.58 AED 13.16

$2.23 ₦2,982

60.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 AED 44.52

$3.55 ₦4,760

241.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 AED 34.90

$3.78 ₦5,071

151.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 AED 51.0

$4.33 ₦5,807

220.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 AED 9.67

$1.69 ₦2,261

55.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.97

$1.30 ₦1,746

46.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 AED 6.81

$1.08 ₦1,447

71.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 AED 5.51

$1.48 ₦1,988

1.35%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 AED 4.36

$1.61 ₦2,154

-26.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.70

$1.50 ₦2,016

-32.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 AED 6.10

$0.89 ₦1,190

86.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.27

$0.36 ₦487

72.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 AED 22.42

$0.59 ₦787

935.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.08 AED 59.1

$2.49 ₦3,331

545.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 AED 9.95

$0.51 ₦679

431.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 AED 11.10

$0.50 ₦674

504.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.47 AED 5.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$67.0 AED 246

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.35 AED 12.31

$0.68 ₦912

392.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 AED 2.48

$0.90 ₦1,200

-24.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.24 AED 30.24

$2.21 ₦2,958

272.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$0.91 ₦1,217

1.10%

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

$26.0K AED 95.5K

$11.1K ₦14.9M

133.21%

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

$21.5K AED 79.0K

$29.3K ₦39.3M

-26.61%

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

$248 AED 910

$110 ₦147.1K

125.77%

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

$56.2 AED 206

$14.50 ₦19.4K

287.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.8 AED 344

$32.73 ₦43.9K

186.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 AED 335

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.35 AED 167

Cinema Ticket

$16.58 AED 60.9

$6.15 ₦8,241

169.59%

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

$949 AED 3,486

$664 ₦889.8K

42.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K AED 62.8K

$20.0K ₦26.8M

-14.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 AED 259

$14.39 ₦19.3K

389.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.7 AED 227

$17.99 ₦24.1K

243.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$35.77 ₦47.9K

181.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 AED 419

$48.26 ₦64.7K

136.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,510 AED 9,217

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 AED 5,644

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,106 AED 18.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,110 AED 11.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,216 AED 26.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,383 AED 16.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,556 AED 13.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

18.39

-75.31%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ilesha: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 53.1%

Ilesha

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$398 13.7%

Ilesha

$157 32.9% 60.5% $241

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Ilesha

$96 20.1% 68.8% $211

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$295 10.2%

Ilesha

$155 32.4% 47.6% $140

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$156 5.4%

Ilesha

$52 11% 66.5% $104

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$124 4.3%

Ilesha

$12 * 2.6% 90.1% $112

Getting Around

Dubai

$80 2.8%

Ilesha

$5.2 * 1.1% 93.5% $74

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $81 in Dubai vs $50 in Ilesha for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $155 per month, with Ilesha cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇳🇬 Ilesha

🕒 Local time

18:42 6:42 PM

15:42 3:42 PM

3 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

277,904

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 AED (1 AED = 0.245 EUR).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.7 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Ilesha 5,680 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Ilesha

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 Ilesha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Ilesha is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. The 507% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,343 in Dubai and $715 in Ilesha 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 91% 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 $477 in Ilesha – a 507% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $477 in Ilesha versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Ilesha but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Ilesha the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.