Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Kollam

For one person, living is cheaper in Kollam: $270 a month against $2,889 in Dubai, rent and utilities included – about $31,400 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
13

Cost of Living Index in Kollam
Learn more

Kollam Living Index

Jump to prices

Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,889

/mo nomad

Kollam

🇮🇳 India

$270

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Kollam

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,889 in Dubai versus $270 in Kollam.

Dubai $2,889
Kollam $270

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,444 in Dubai versus $434 in Kollam.

Dubai $4,444
Kollam $434

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,999 in Dubai versus $599 in Kollam.

Dubai $5,999
Kollam $599

Living in Dubai is roughly 970% more expensive than in Kollam, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Dubai is 114% above, Kollam is 80% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.94 AED 47.54

$1.03 ₹97.7

1156.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$83.2 AED 306

$6.32 ₹597

1216.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 AED 34.32

$3.10 ₹293

201.61%

Cappuccino

$5.88 AED 21.59

$1.41 ₹133

317.02%

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

$1.57 AED 5.77

$0.34 ₹31.73

361.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 AED 3.47

$0.12 ₹11.53

683.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.44 AED 49.37

$1.28 ₹121

950.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.57 AED 49.84

$1.89 ₹178

617.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$0.61 ₹57.6

204.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.56 AED 5.73

$0.49 ₹46.36

218.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.64 AED 9.68

$0.50 ₹47.58

428.00%

Eggs

$3.53 AED 12.96

$0.85 ₹80.3

315.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.97 AED 47.62

$3.61 ₹341

259.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.94 AED 36.51

$2.06 ₹194

382.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.92 AED 47.45

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.36

$1.66 ₹157

53.61%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 AED 7.54

$0.60 ₹57.0

241.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.84 AED 6.77

$0.73 ₹69.0

152.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.54 AED 5.64

$0.38 ₹35.76

305.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 AED 4.31

$0.37 ₹35.40

216.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 AED 3.76

$0.39 ₹36.63

161.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 AED 5.75

$0.63 ₹59.7

149.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 AED 2.46

$0.25 ₹23.36

168.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.31 AED 23.17

$5.08 ₹480

24.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.16 AED 59.4

$2.57 ₹243

528.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 AED 9.48

$1.47 ₹139

75.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 AED 10.60

$2.72 ₹257

6.25%

Buffalo Round (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) (1kg)

$3.53 ₹333

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.40 AED 5.15

$0.14 ₹13.28

900.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$82.4 AED 303

$6.96 ₹658

1084.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.29 AED 12.07

$1.43 ₹135

130.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 AED 2.40

$0.33 ₹31.30

96.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.13 AED 29.84

$2.13 ₹201

281.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 AED 3.68

$1.13 ₹107

-11.50%

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

$26.3K AED 96.6K

$11.2K ₹1.1M

134.10%

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

$22.0K AED 81.0K

$16.7K ₹1.6M

31.84%

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

$239 AED 877

$18.54 ₹1,751

1188.35%

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

$56.9 AED 209

$3.01 ₹284

1789.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$93.9 AED 345

$6.09 ₹575

1441.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$90.8 AED 334

$13.74 ₹1,298

561.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.38 AED 170

$10.57 ₹999

338.79%

Cinema Ticket

$16.24 AED 59.6

$1.61 ₹152

908.70%

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

$934 AED 3,429

$21.21 ₹2,003

4302.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K AED 76.8K

$2,663 ₹251.6K

685.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.7 AED 260

$16.49 ₹1,557

328.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$61.3 AED 225

$24.15 ₹2,281

154.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 AED 377

$25.43 ₹2,402

303.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$116 AED 426

$24.26 ₹2,292

378.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,487 AED 9,134

$83.0 ₹7,836

2898.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,520 AED 5,581

$48.18 ₹4,551

3054.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 AED 19.2K

$184 ₹17.4K

2748.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,028 AED 11.1K

$116 ₹11.0K

2502.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,982 AED 25.6K

$865 ₹81.7K

707.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,433 AED 16.3K

$455 ₹43.0K

874.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,553 AED 13.0K

$520 ₹49.1K

583.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

9.13

-49.95%

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

Last update for Dubai: November 2, 2026

Last update for Kollam: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.6%

Kollam

$48 17.8% 96.8% $1.5K

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$390 13.5%

Kollam

$28 10.2% 92.9% $362

Eating Out

Dubai

$307 10.6%

Kollam

$47 17.2% 84.8% $260

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$297 10.3%

Kollam

$80 29.5% 73.2% $218

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$158 5.5%

Kollam

$41 15.1% 74.3% $117

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$123 4.3%

Kollam

$17 6.3% 86.3% $106

Getting Around

Dubai

$95 3.3%

Kollam

$11 3.9% 88.8% $84

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,487 in Dubai and $83 in Kollam. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dubai pays about 6.8 times more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $83 in Dubai vs $6 in Kollam for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $297 vs $80 per month, with Kollam cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇮🇳 Kollam

🕒 Local time

13:05 1:05 PM

14:35 2:35 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

367,107

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Indian Rupee INR ₹

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.242 EUR

1,000 INR = 10.59 USD

1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

INR, 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).

Indian Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 94.47 INR (100 INR = 1.06 USD). 1 EUR = 106 INR (1,000 INR = 9.43 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Dubai Kollam 2,890 km ≈ 4 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Kollam

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 Kollam: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kollam is about 91% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Dubai is about 6.8 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 $83 in Kollam. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Kollam runs roughly 92% less than in Dubai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $934 in Dubai versus $21 in Kollam. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $270 in Kollam versus $2,889 in Dubai, a $800 budget is realistic in Kollam but tight or insufficient in Dubai. The gap between the two cities makes Kollam 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 Kollam are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

Expats usually find Kollam gentler on the wallet – expenses run 91% less than in Dubai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.