Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Kairouan

For one person, living is cheaper in Kairouan: $621 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $27,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
Learn more

Dubai Living Index
30

Cost of Living Index in Kairouan
Learn more

Kairouan Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Kairouan

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$621

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Kairouan

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $621 in Kairouan.

Dubai $2,889
Kairouan $621

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $967 in Kairouan.

Dubai $4,444
Kairouan $967

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $1,312 in Kairouan.

Dubai $5,999
Kairouan $1,312

Living in Dubai is roughly 365% more expensive than in Kairouan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 114% above, Kairouan is 54% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$2.62 TND 7.78

393.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$15.99 TND 47.47

420.45%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$5.65 TND 16.76

65.49%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.59

$1.00 TND 2.96

488.00%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.86 TND 2.56

82.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.43 TND 1.27

118.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.37

$1.70 TND 5.03

690.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$2.67 TND 7.91

408.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$0.45 TND 1.34

313.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.08 TND 0.24

1850.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$1.70 TND 5.03

55.29%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$1.53 TND 4.54

130.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$10.30 TND 30.57

25.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$5.64 TND 16.73

76.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

$11.85 TND 35.18

9.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$2.06 TND 6.12

23.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$2.20 TND 6.54

-6.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$1.25 TND 3.71

47.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$0.77 TND 2.30

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$0.65 TND 1.94

80.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.61 TND 1.82

67.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$0.51 TND 1.51

207.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.26 TND 0.77

157.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$3.36 TND 9.98

87.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$6.56 TND 19.47

146.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.21 TND 3.59

113.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$1.37 TND 4.08

110.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

$0.36 TND 1.06

288.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

$11.14 TND 33.05

639.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.31 TND 0.92

961.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.28 TND 0.82

132.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$1.76 TND 5.22

361.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$0.75 TND 2.21

33.33%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$38.7K TND 114.9K

-32.09%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$35.7K TND 105.9K

-38.23%

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

$239 AED 877

$60.9 TND 181

292.09%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$8.65 TND 25.66

557.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$20.19 TND 59.9

365.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

$23.85 TND 70.8

280.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

$12.72 TND 37.75

264.62%

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$4.59 TND 13.62

253.81%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$108 TND 322

760.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$3,024 TND 8,976

591.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$23.69 TND 70.3

198.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$61.7 TND 183

-0.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$46.63 TND 138

120.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$82.4 TND 244

40.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

$118 TND 351

2002.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$143 TND 425

961.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

$373 TND 1,107

1303.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

$268 TND 795

1031.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

$990 TND 2,938

605.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

$621 TND 1,843

613.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

$321 TND 952

1007.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

10.65

-57.09%

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

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kairouan: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Kairouan

$143 23.1% 90.6% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Kairouan

$90 14.5% 77% $300

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Kairouan

$69 11.1% 77.5% $238

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Kairouan

$176 28.3% 40.9% $122

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Kairouan

$96 15.5% 38.9% $61

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Kairouan

$33 5.3% 73.2% $90

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Kairouan

$14 2.3% 84.9% $80

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,487 in Dubai and $118 in Kairouan. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays about 11 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $83 in Dubai vs $16 in Kairouan for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $176 per month, with Kairouan cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇹🇳 Kairouan

🕒 Local time

15:26 3:26 PM

12:26 12:26 PM

3 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

139,070

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1 TND = 0.337 USD

1 TND = 0.3 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.242 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 2.97 TND (1 TND = 0.337 USD). 1 EUR = 3.33 TND (1 TND = 0.3 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dubai Kairouan 4,440 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Kairouan

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 Kairouan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kairouan is about 79% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Dubai is about 11 times higher, 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: $2,487 in Dubai versus $118 in Kairouan. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kairouan runs roughly 86% less than in Dubai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $934 in Dubai versus $108 in Kairouan. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $621 in Kairouan versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $1,200 budget is realistic in Kairouan but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Kairouan 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.

Safety-wise, Dubai and Kairouan are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Kairouan gentler on the wallet – expenses run 79% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.