Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Jimma

For one person, living is cheaper in Jimma: $1,057 a month against $2,854 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $21,600 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

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,854

/mo nomad

Jimma

🇪🇹 Ethiopia

$1,057

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Jimma

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,854 in Dubai versus $1,057 in Jimma.

Dubai $2,854
Jimma $1,057

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,321 in Dubai versus $1,424 in Jimma.

Dubai $4,321
Jimma $1,424

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,788 in Dubai versus $1,792 in Jimma.

Dubai $5,788
Jimma $1,792

Living in Dubai is roughly 170% more expensive than in Jimma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Jimma is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.04 AED 47.89

$4.65 ETB 747

180.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.4 AED 299

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.32 AED 34.25

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$1.17 ETB 188

410.26%

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

$1.63 AED 5.98

$0.59 ETB 95.2

176.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 AED 2.99

$0.44 ETB 70.0

84.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.65 AED 50.1

$2.81 ETB 452

385.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.38 AED 49.15

$1.43 ETB 230

835.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.64

$1.15 ETB 185

57.39%

White Bread (500g)

$1.57 AED 5.78

$0.36 ETB 58.1

336.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 AED 9.16

$1.12 ETB 180

122.32%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.04

$4.02 ETB 646

-18.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.67 AED 46.53

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.75 AED 35.80

$11.49 ETB 1,847

-15.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.18 AED 48.40

$11.42 ETB 1,835

15.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 AED 9.57

$2.30 ETB 370

13.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 AED 7.09

$1.12 ETB 180

72.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 AED 7.05

$3.45 ETB 555

-44.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 AED 5.00

$0.58 ETB 93.8

134.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.29

$0.55 ETB 87.7

112.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.71

$3.35 ETB 538

-69.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.51 AED 5.56

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.29

$0.58 ETB 93.7

6.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.85 AED 21.50

Wine (Bottle)

$16.14 AED 59.3

$6.63 ETB 1,065

143.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 AED 9.74

$1.16 ETB 187

128.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 AED 10.82

$1.45 ETB 234

103.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 AED 6.03

$0.22 ETB 35.27

645.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.6 AED 270

$13.38 ETB 2,150

450.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 AED 11.66

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.63

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 AED 29.23

$1.72 ETB 276

362.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 AED 3.64

$1.74 ETB 279

-43.10%

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

$27.4K AED 100.5K

$51.2K ETB 8.2M

-46.58%

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

$22.5K AED 82.8K

$58.0K ETB 9.3M

-61.11%

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

$250 AED 920

$63.4 ETB 10.2K

294.70%

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

$54.2 AED 199

$36.28 ETB 5,829

49.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.8 AED 337

$313 ETB 50.3K

-70.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$98.6 AED 362

$34.06 ETB 5,474

189.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$42.61 AED 156

Cinema Ticket

$16.03 AED 58.9

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

$843 AED 3,098

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.3K AED 67.1K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 AED 250

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.9 AED 213

$92.7 ETB 14.9K

-37.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$139 ETB 22.3K

-27.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 AED 371

$115 ETB 18.5K

-12.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,380 AED 8,741

$208 ETB 33.4K

1046.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,506 AED 5,531

$160 ETB 25.7K

841.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,437 AED 16.3K

$415 ETB 66.7K

969.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,010 AED 11.1K

$310 ETB 49.9K

869.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,121 AED 26.2K

$2,229 ETB 358.2K

219.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,135 AED 15.2K

$1,117 ETB 179.4K

270.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,391 AED 12.5K

$227 ETB 36.5K

1393.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

-49.56%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Jimma: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.5%

Jimma

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$396 13.8%

Jimma

–

Eating Out

Dubai

$309 10.8%

Jimma

–

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$293 10.2%

Jimma

–

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$147 5.1%

Jimma

–

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$131 4.6%

Jimma

–

Getting Around

Dubai

$87 3%

Jimma

–

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,380 in Dubai and $208 in Jimma. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays 1393% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇪🇹 Jimma

🕒 Local time

12:21 12:21 PM

11:21 11:21 AM

1 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

207,573

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Ethiopian Birr ETB Br

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD

1,000 ETB = 5.55 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Ethiopian Birr exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 161 ETB (1,000 ETB = 6.22 USD). 1 EUR = 180 ETB (1,000 ETB = 5.55 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

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Dubai Jimma 2,740 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

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Jimma

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 Jimma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Jimma is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and leisure. The 170% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 1393% 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 $208 in Jimma. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 47% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

A monthly transit pass in Jimma runs roughly 450% less than in Dubai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $1,057 in Jimma versus $2,854 in Dubai, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Jimma but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Jimma the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Jimma 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 Jimma 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 Jimma gentler on the wallet – expenses run 170% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.