Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Kalutara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalutara: $612 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $27,300 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Kalutara
Learn more

Kalutara Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Kalutara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Kalutara

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $612 in Kalutara.

Dubai $2,889
Kalutara $612

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $896 in Kalutara.

Dubai $4,444
Kalutara $896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $1,179 in Kalutara.

Dubai $5,999
Kalutara $1,179

Living in Dubai is roughly 372% more expensive than in Kalutara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 114% above, Kalutara is 55% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$3.86 LKR 1,285

235.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$24.82 LKR 8,252

235.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$7.38 LKR 2,453

26.69%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.59

$2.43 LKR 807

141.98%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.68 LKR 228

130.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.25 LKR 82.5

276.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.37

$2.26 LKR 752

494.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$2.98 LKR 991

355.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$1.62 LKR 537

14.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.54 LKR 179

188.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$0.75 LKR 249

252.00%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$1.68 LKR 560

110.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$15.02 LKR 4,994

-13.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$4.98 LKR 1,655

99.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

$7.47 LKR 2,485

72.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$6.67 LKR 2,216

-61.77%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$0.87 LKR 290

135.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$4.10 LKR 1,363

-55.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$1.33 LKR 441

15.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$1.08 LKR 358

8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.84 LKR 279

21.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$1.21 LKR 402

29.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.46 LKR 152

45.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$10.41 LKR 3,460

-39.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$13.48 LKR 4,483

19.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.95 LKR 649

32.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$2.95 LKR 980

-2.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

$0.13 LKR 44.22

976.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

$9.00 LKR 2,993

815.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.37 LKR 123

789.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.18 LKR 58.6

261.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$0.94 LKR 313

764.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$1.38 LKR 459

-27.54%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$44.4K LKR 14.8M

-40.74%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$44.8K LKR 14.9M

-50.81%

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

$239 AED 877

$56.8 LKR 18.9K

320.60%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$4.19 LKR 1,393

1257.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$21.12 LKR 7,023

344.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

$9.19 LKR 3,056

888.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$4.61 LKR 1,533

252.28%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$40.52 LKR 13.5K

2204.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$17.1K LKR 5.7M

22.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$17.99 LKR 5,980

292.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$17.26 LKR 5,740

255.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$77.9 LKR 25.9K

31.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$40.87 LKR 13.6K

184.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$85.5 LKR 28.4K

1677.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

12.5

-63.44%

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

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kalutara: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Kalutara

$86 14% 94.4% $1.4K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Kalutara

$82 13.4% 78.9% $308

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Kalutara

$103 16.9% 66.4% $203

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Kalutara

$243 39.7% 18.2% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Kalutara

$69 11.3% 56.1% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Kalutara

$18 3% 85.1% $105

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Kalutara

$11 1.8% 88.6% $84

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $83 in Dubai vs $25 in Kalutara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $243 per month, with Kalutara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇱🇰 Kalutara

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

39,600

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, 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 = 0.243 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Kalutara 3,340 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Kalutara

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 Kalutara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

You’d need roughly $4,333 in Dubai and $919 in Kalutara 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.

A monthly transit pass in Kalutara runs roughly 89% less than in Dubai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $934 in Dubai versus $41 in Kalutara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $612 in Kalutara versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $800 budget is realistic in Kalutara but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Kalutara 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 Kalutara are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.