Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Kaduna

For one person, living is cheaper in Kaduna: $314 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $31,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
15

Cost of Living Index in Kaduna
Learn more

Kaduna Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Kaduna

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$314

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Kaduna

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $314 in Kaduna.

Dubai $2,896
Kaduna $314

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,468 in Dubai versus $553 in Kaduna.

Dubai $4,468
Kaduna $553

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,040 in Dubai versus $792 in Kaduna.

Dubai $6,040
Kaduna $792

Living in Dubai is roughly 823% more expensive than in Kaduna, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Kaduna is 77% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.73 AED 46.74

$1.14 ₦1,533

1016.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 AED 299

$18.78 ₦25.2K

333.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.68 AED 35.55

$1.82 ₦2,435

431.87%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$3.42 ₦4,587

74.56%

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

$1.66 AED 6.10

$0.21 ₦283

690.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 AED 3.00

$0.06 ₦83.7

1266.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.38 AED 49.13

$0.44 ₦587

2940.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.60 AED 49.94

$0.71 ₦957

1815.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.66

$1.53 ₦2,052

18.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 AED 5.68

$0.49 ₦660

216.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.57

$0.70 ₦932

271.43%

Eggs

$3.58 AED 13.16

$1.29 ₦1,724

177.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 AED 44.52

$0.72 ₦959

1583.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 AED 34.90

$5.33 ₦7,150

78.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 AED 51.0

$1.76 ₦2,353

688.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 AED 9.67

$1.99 ₦2,666

32.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.97

$1.10 ₦1,475

72.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 AED 6.81

$0.38 ₦513

386.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 AED 5.51

$0.59 ₦784

154.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 AED 4.36

$0.78 ₦1,046

52.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.70

$0.77 ₦1,036

31.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 AED 6.10

$0.15 ₦205

1006.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.27

$0.11 ₦149

463.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 AED 22.42

$1.97 ₦2,641

210.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.08 AED 59.1

$1.84 ₦2,463

773.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 AED 9.95

$1.23 ₦1,643

120.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 AED 11.10

$1.87 ₦2,501

61.50%

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

$0.57 ₦770

487.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 AED 2.48

$0.85 ₦1,145

-20.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.24 AED 30.24

$1.84 ₦2,471

347.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$0.58 ₦781

58.62%

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

$26.0K AED 95.5K

$26.0K ₦34.8M

0.07%

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

$21.5K AED 79.0K

$36.9K ₦49.5M

-41.74%

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

$248 AED 910

$7.38 ₦9,892

3256.64%

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

$56.2 AED 206

$3.74 ₦5,014

1401.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.8 AED 344

$18.71 ₦25.1K

401.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 AED 335

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.35 AED 167

Cinema Ticket

$16.58 AED 60.9

$6.49 ₦8,697

155.47%

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

$949 AED 3,486

$44.90 ₦60.2K

2014.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K AED 62.8K

$3,124 ₦4.2M

447.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 AED 259

$5.93 ₦7,952

1088.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.7 AED 227

$11.08 ₦14.9K

457.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$11.37 ₦15.2K

786.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 AED 419

$11.21 ₦15.0K

917.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,510 AED 9,217

$130 ₦174.2K

1831.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 AED 5,643

$85.1 ₦114.0K

1706.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,106 AED 18.8K

$426 ₦571.2K

1098.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,110 AED 11.4K

$228 ₦305.5K

1264.81%

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

22.5

-79.82%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kaduna: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 53.1%

Kaduna

$85 27.1% 94.5% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$398 13.7%

Kaduna

$30 9.5% 92.5% $368

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Kaduna

$60 19.3% 80.3% $246

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$295 10.2%

Kaduna

$103 32.7% 65.2% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$156 5.4%

Kaduna

$18 5.7% 88.6% $138

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$124 4.3%

Kaduna

$13 * 4.1% 89.6% $111

Getting Around

Dubai

$80 2.8%

Kaduna

$4.9 * 1.6% 93.9% $75

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 $2,510 in Dubai and $130 in Kaduna. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $81 in Dubai vs $19 in Kaduna for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $103 per month, with Kaduna cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇳🇬 Kaduna

🕒 Local time

15:52 3:52 PM

12:52 12:52 PM

3 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

760,084

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Kaduna 5,280 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Kaduna

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 Kaduna: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kaduna is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 823% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,343 in Dubai and $470 in Kaduna 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,510 in Dubai versus $130 in Kaduna. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 187% 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 $314 in Kaduna – a 823% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $314 in Kaduna versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $800 budget is realistic in Kaduna but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Kaduna 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.