Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dubai and Lancy

For one person, living is cheaper in Dubai: $2,883 a month against $3,280 in Lancy, rent and utilities included – about $4,800 less a year. The total is higher in Lancy despite lower rent and utilities.

139

Cost of Living Index in Dubai
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Dubai Living Index
164

Cost of Living Index in Lancy
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Lancy Living Index

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Dubai

🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates

$2,883

/mo nomad

Lancy

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,280

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dubai and in Lancy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,883 in Dubai versus $3,280 in Lancy.

Dubai $2,883
Lancy $3,280

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,403 in Dubai versus $5,151 in Lancy.

Dubai $4,403
Lancy $5,151

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,923 in Dubai versus $7,023 in Lancy.

Dubai $5,923
Lancy $7,023

Living in Dubai costs roughly 12% less than in Lancy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Dubai 113% above, Lancy 142% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.99 AED 47.72

$28.74 CHF 23.68

-54.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$81.9 AED 301

$124 CHF 102

-33.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.64 AED 35.40

$15.64 CHF 12.89

-38.36%

Cappuccino

$6.09 AED 22.38

$6.32 CHF 5.20

-3.64%

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

$1.61 AED 5.93

$4.56 CHF 3.76

-64.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.75 AED 2.76

$4.01 CHF 3.30

-81.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$13.79 AED 50.6

$9.28 CHF 7.64

48.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$13.41 AED 49.25

$7.72 CHF 6.36

73.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 AED 6.83

$2.23 CHF 1.84

-16.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 AED 5.62

$2.90 CHF 2.39

-47.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.55 AED 9.38

$3.13 CHF 2.57

-18.53%

Eggs

$3.28 AED 12.06

$7.57 CHF 6.24

-56.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 AED 44.57

$24.10 CHF 19.85

-49.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.15 AED 33.62

$29.41 CHF 24.23

-68.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.80 AED 47.00

$39.04 CHF 32.16

-67.21%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 AED 9.39

$3.54 CHF 2.92

-27.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.91 AED 7.03

$1.65 CHF 1.36

15.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 AED 6.69

$2.74 CHF 2.25

-33.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 AED 5.26

$4.76 CHF 3.92

-69.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 AED 4.04

$1.58 CHF 1.30

-30.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 AED 3.40

$2.05 CHF 1.69

-55.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 AED 5.58

$2.21 CHF 1.82

-31.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 AED 2.54

$1.35 CHF 1.12

-48.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.41 AED 23.55

$10.84 CHF 8.93

-40.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.52 AED 60.7

$12.17 CHF 10.03

35.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 AED 9.41

$2.17 CHF 1.79

17.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 AED 11.32

$2.91 CHF 2.40

5.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 AED 5.82

$3.90 CHF 3.21

-59.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$75.9 AED 279

$94.7 CHF 78.0

-19.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 AED 11.72

$7.73 CHF 6.37

-58.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.71 AED 2.62

$3.78 CHF 3.12

-81.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.21 AED 30.13

$64.6 CHF 53.2

-87.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.01 AED 3.73

$2.33 CHF 1.92

-56.65%

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

$26.1K AED 96.0K

$38.8K CHF 31.9K

-32.57%

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

$21.8K AED 80.2K

$39.5K CHF 32.6K

-44.75%

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

$245 AED 900

$276 CHF 227

-11.19%

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

$57.5 AED 211

$27.82 CHF 22.92

106.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$91.3 AED 335

$55.1 CHF 45.42

65.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$105 AED 385

$90.5 CHF 74.5

15.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.58 AED 171

$46.39 CHF 38.22

0.41%

Cinema Ticket

$16.04 AED 58.9

$24.28 CHF 20.00

-33.94%

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

$873 AED 3,206

$2,430 CHF 2,002

-64.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K AED 66.2K

$30.3K CHF 25.0K

-40.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.8 AED 260

$135 CHF 111

-47.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$62.3 AED 229

$61.0 CHF 50.2

2.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 AED 390

$158 CHF 130

-32.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 AED 376

$188 CHF 154

-45.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,454 AED 9,014

$1,798 CHF 1,481

36.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 AED 5,545

$1,384 CHF 1,140

9.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,640 AED 17.0K

$2,926 CHF 2,410

58.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,961 AED 10.9K

$2,610 CHF 2,150

13.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,219 AED 26.5K

$17.9K CHF 14.7K

-59.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,232 AED 15.5K

$11.4K CHF 9,367

-62.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,584 AED 13.2K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.54

1.98

129.29%

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

Last update for Dubai: October 18, 2026

Last update for Lancy: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dubai

$1.5K 52.4%

Lancy

$1.4K 42.2% 8.3% $126

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dubai

$394 13.7%

Lancy

$359 10.9% 8.9% $35

Eating Out

Dubai

$311 10.8%

Lancy

$449 13.7% 44.2% $138

Groceries & Markets

Dubai

$288 10%

Lancy

$568 17.3% 97.1% $280

Clothing & Footwear

Dubai

$154 5.3%

Lancy

$244 7.4% 58.5% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Dubai

$137 4.8%

Lancy

$139 4.2% 1.6% $2.2

Getting Around

Dubai

$89 3.1%

Lancy

$137 4.2% 53.8% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,454 in Dubai and $1,798 in Lancy. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $82 in Dubai vs $124 in Lancy for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $288 vs $568 per month, with Dubai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇪 Dubai

🇨🇭 Lancy

🕒 Local time

13:11 1:11 PM

10:11 10:11 AM

3 h behind Dubai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,790,000

10,919

💱 Currency

UAE Dirham AED د.إ

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 AED = 0.272 USD

1 AED = 0.243 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to AED – UAE Dirham Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇪 UAE Dirham (د.إ)

UAE Dirham exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 3.67 AED (1 AED = 0.272 USD). 1 EUR = 4.12 AED (1 AED = 0.243 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 26, 2026: 1 USD = 0.824 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.924 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to AED in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Dubai Lancy 4,920 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Dubai
Lancy

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 Lancy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Dubai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 14% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $4,324 in Dubai and $4,919 in Lancy 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.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,454 in Dubai versus $1,798 in Lancy. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Dubai runs roughly 20% less than in Lancy. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $873 in Dubai versus $2,430 in Lancy. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $2,500. Dubai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.