Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Katunayaka

For one person, living is cheaper in Katunayaka: $506 a month against $2,896 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $28,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

140

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Katunayaka
Learn more

Katunayaka Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,896

/mo nomad

Katunayaka

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Katunayaka

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,896 in Dubai versus $506 in Katunayaka.

Dubai $2,896
Katunayaka $506

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,468 in Dubai versus $822 in Katunayaka.

Dubai $4,468
Katunayaka $822

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $6,040 in Dubai versus $1,138 in Katunayaka.

Dubai $6,040
Katunayaka $1,138

Living in Dubai is roughly 472% more expensive than in Katunayaka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 113% above, Katunayaka is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.73 AED 46.74

$3.84 LKR 1,278

231.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.5 AED 299

$25.36 LKR 8,429

221.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.68 AED 35.55

$7.49 LKR 2,491

29.24%

Cappuccino

$5.97 AED 21.93

$2.55 LKR 848

134.12%

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

$1.66 AED 6.10

$0.71 LKR 236

133.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.82 AED 3.00

$0.27 LKR 89.9

203.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.38 AED 49.13

$2.19 LKR 727

510.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.60 AED 49.94

$3.08 LKR 1,023

341.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 AED 6.66

$1.64 LKR 544

10.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 AED 5.68

$0.57 LKR 190

171.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.60 AED 9.57

$0.76 LKR 254

242.11%

Eggs

$3.58 AED 13.16

$1.72 LKR 573

108.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.12 AED 44.52

$13.55 LKR 4,503

-10.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.50 AED 34.90

$4.89 LKR 1,627

94.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.88 AED 51.0

$7.46 LKR 2,481

86.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 AED 9.67

$6.50 LKR 2,162

-59.54%

Banana (1kg)

$1.90 AED 6.97

$0.84 LKR 281

126.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 AED 6.81

$4.40 LKR 1,464

-57.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 AED 5.51

$1.29 LKR 428

16.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.19 AED 4.36

$0.99 LKR 329

20.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 AED 3.70

$0.76 LKR 253

32.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.66 AED 6.10

$0.95 LKR 316

74.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 AED 2.27

$0.45 LKR 151

37.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.11 AED 22.42

$10.25 LKR 3,409

-40.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.08 AED 59.1

$12.79 LKR 4,251

25.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.71 AED 9.95

$1.91 LKR 636

41.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 AED 11.10

$2.95 LKR 979

2.37%

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

$0.41 LKR 135

717.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 AED 2.48

$0.37 LKR 123

83.78%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.24 AED 30.24

$0.93 LKR 310

786.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$1.40 LKR 464

-34.29%

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

$26.0K AED 95.5K

$44.7K LKR 14.8M

-41.80%

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

$21.5K AED 79.0K

$40.9K LKR 13.6M

-47.41%

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

$248 AED 910

$58.3 LKR 19.4K

324.76%

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

$56.2 AED 206

$4.33 LKR 1,441

1197.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.8 AED 344

$21.11 LKR 7,019

344.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.1 AED 335

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.35 AED 167

Cinema Ticket

$16.58 AED 60.9

$4.40 LKR 1,462

276.82%

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

$949 AED 3,486

$38.35 LKR 12.8K

2375.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.1K AED 62.8K

$1,203 LKR 399.9K

1322.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.5 AED 259

$18.46 LKR 6,138

281.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.7 AED 227

$16.89 LKR 5,616

265.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 AED 370

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

26.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 AED 419

$41.36 LKR 13.7K

175.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,510 AED 9,217

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,537 AED 5,644

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,106 AED 18.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,110 AED 11.4K

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

12.69

-64.22%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Katunayaka: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 53.1%

Katunayaka

- * 0% 100%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$398 13.7%

Katunayaka

$84 16.6% 78.9% $314

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Katunayaka

$105 20.7% 65.8% $202

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$295 10.2%

Katunayaka

$236 46.6% 19.9% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$156 5.4%

Katunayaka

$70 13.9% 55% $86

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$124 4.3%

Katunayaka

$8.8 * 1.7% 92.9% $115

Getting Around

Dubai

$80 2.8%

Katunayaka

$2.3 * 0.5% 97.2% $77

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $81 in Dubai vs $25 in Katunayaka for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $295 vs $236 per month, with Katunayaka cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇱🇰 Katunayaka

🕒 Local time

03:09 3:09 AM

04:39 4:39 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

84,643

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.245 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.09 AED (1 AED = 0.245 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Katunayaka 3,290 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Katunayaka

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 Katunayaka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Katunayaka is about 83% 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 $4,343 in Dubai and $759 in Katunayaka 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 25% 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 $506 in Katunayaka – Katunayaka is about 83% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $506 in Katunayaka versus $2,896 in Dubai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Katunayaka but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Katunayaka 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.