Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Kandana

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandana: $509 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $28,600 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kandana
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Kandana Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Kandana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Kandana

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $509 in Kandana.

Dubai $2,889
Kandana $509

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $827 in Kandana.

Dubai $4,444
Kandana $827

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $1,145 in Kandana.

Dubai $5,999
Kandana $1,145

Living in Dubai is roughly 467% more expensive than in Kandana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 114% above, Kandana is 62% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$3.76 LKR 1,251

244.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$25.18 LKR 8,374

230.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$7.45 LKR 2,476

25.50%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.59

$2.43 LKR 808

141.98%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.72 LKR 238

118.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.27 LKR 90.6

248.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.37

$2.18 LKR 725

516.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$3.08 LKR 1,024

340.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$1.58 LKR 526

17.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.54 LKR 178

188.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$0.75 LKR 248

252.00%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$1.65 LKR 548

113.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$15.19 LKR 5,049

-14.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$4.88 LKR 1,621

103.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

$7.76 LKR 2,580

66.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$6.73 LKR 2,238

-62.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$0.82 LKR 273

150.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$4.11 LKR 1,367

-55.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$1.28 LKR 426

20.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$1.03 LKR 343

13.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.82 LKR 271

24.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$1.24 LKR 413

26.61%

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

$10.16 LKR 3,377

-37.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$13.42 LKR 4,463

20.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.87 LKR 623

37.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$2.97 LKR 988

-2.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$0.38 LKR 126

765.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.33 LKR 111

96.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$0.86 LKR 287

845.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$1.37 LKR 457

-27.01%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

-40.48%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

-51.57%

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

$239 AED 877

$57.5 LKR 19.1K

315.77%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$4.30 LKR 1,429

1222.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$20.55 LKR 6,833

356.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$4.45 LKR 1,480

264.94%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$40.32 LKR 13.4K

2215.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

21.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$18.24 LKR 6,063

287.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$17.49 LKR 5,815

250.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$79.9 LKR 26.6K

28.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$40.94 LKR 13.6K

183.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

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 Kandana: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Kandana

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Kandana

$82 16.2% 78.9% $307

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Kandana

$103 20.2% 66.5% $204

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Kandana

$243 47.7% 18.3% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Kandana

$70 13.8% 55.4% $87

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Kandana

$8.9 * 1.8% 92.8% $114

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Kandana

$2.1 * 0.4% 97.8% $93

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

Cost Breakdown

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

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇱🇰 Kandana

🕒 Local time

09:28 9:28 AM

10:58 10:58 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

15,000

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Kandana 3,300 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Kandana

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 Kandana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kandana is about 82% 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 $764 in Kandana 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 22% higher in Dubai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $2,889 per month in Dubai versus $509 in Kandana – Kandana is about 82% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $509 in Kandana versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kandana but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Kandana 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 Kandana are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.